British Columbia Region Emergency Management Plans

Forest fires

BC's fire season is from April 1 to October 31. Fires are a natural part of the BC landscape, but in recent decades, the scale and intensity of fires have increased, fueled by dry conditions and human activities. This has led to significant environmental, economic, and social impacts.

Floods and freshet

BC experiences flooding annually, driven by a combination of heavy rainfall, melting snow, and rapid ice thaw. First Nations in BC are particularly vulnerable due to their location in areas prone to flooding, such as coastal areas and those adjacent to rivers and lakes.

When flooding events occur, they have serious consequences for First Nations communities, infrastructure, the economy, and the environment.

Earthquakes

Several thousand earthquakes are recorded in BC annually, of which approximately 50 are felt. Earthquakes strong enough to cause structural damage (magnitude 5 or higher) occur once per decade.

Canada's largest earthquake occurred on August 21, 1949, off the west coast of Haida Gwaii. The magnitude 8.1 quake was felt in Whitehorse, Yukon, as far east as Alberta, and as far south as Seattle, Washington. In Prince Rupert, 230 km east of the epicentre, shaking was so severe that windows shattered and brick buildings crumbled.

The regions of the province most at risk for earthquakes are:

• Haida Gwaii
• Coastal BC
• Vancouver Island

In 2024, Natural Resources Canada launched the Canadian Earthquake Early Warning System for residents of BC. The system broadcasts a warning of an impending earthquake via the Alert Ready System. Up to 20 seconds warning is provided to communities near the epicentre of an earthquake, enough time to drop, cover, and hold on.

Tsunamis

Tsunamis are most often caused by large undersea earthquakes. It may take hours for waves to reach the shore from a distant earthquake, while strong earthquakes occurring near land could generate a tsunami that would arrive in minutes.

BC's coastal communities are divided into 5 tsunami notification zones.

• Zone A: North coast and Haida Gwaii;
• Zone B: Central coast and North Vancouver Island;
• Zone C: West coast of Vancouver Island
• Zone D: Juan de Fuca Strait (including Victoria and the Capital Region)
• Zone E: Strait of Georgia (including Metro Vancouver)

First Nations communities most vulnerable to tsunamis are located near inlets along the west coast of Vancouver Island, the coast of Haida Gwaii, and the central mainland coast between Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Island. In total, 84 BC First Nations (including 25 Treaty First Nations) are located within a tsunami zone.

If you are near the coast and feel an earthquake, drop, cover and hold on. When the shaking stops, protect yourself from a possible tsunami. Without delay, move to higher ground (20 metres in 20 minutes).

Landslides

Landslides pose significant risk and serious threat to First Nations communities, infrastructure, and the environment due to BC's rugged, mountainous terrain, heavy rainfall, and susceptibility to seismic activity.

Health Emergencies

Health Emergency Management facilitates coordinated activities with partners to prepare and respond to emergencies that may impact the health of BC First Nations community members. ISC works closely with the First Nations Health Authority to support health emergencies that have included preparedness, response and recovery from pandemics, opioid crisis, environmental public health and emergency response & recovery, including clinical and mental health supports.

Bilateral service agreements

ISC British Columbia Region partners with Emergency Management and Climate Readiness and BC Wildfire Service through bilateral service agreements. These agreements extend Emergency Management and Climate Readiness's supports and services to First Nations communities in British Columbia. They also strive to ensure individuals living on-reserve other eligible First Nations communities to have access to comparable supports and services to those who live off-reserve.

The 2 active service agreements between ISC and the Province of British Columbia include:

• a 10-year bilateral service agreement with Emergency Management and Climate Readiness for the provision of emergency management services on reserve lands (expires March 31, 2027)
• a 10-year bilateral service agreement with the BC Wildfire Service for the provision of wildfire suppression on reserve lands (expires March 31, 2026)

In 2019, recognizing the need for and value in First Nations governments being full and equal partners in emergency management, the First Nations Leadership Council, ISC, and the Province of British Columbia signed a Trilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Emergency Management in British Columbia.

First Nations Health Authority

The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) in British Columbia plays a vital role in supporting health emergency management as part of its mandate under the First Nations Health Tripartite Agreement between the FNHA, the Government of Canada, and the Province of British Columbia. Through this agreement, the FNHA leads the coordination and delivery of health programs and services for First Nations communities, including planning and response efforts for public health emergencies such as pandemics, natural disasters, and environmental crises. The FNHA works closely with community health leaders, regional health authorities, and emergency management organizations to ensure culturally safe, community-driven, and holistic approaches to preparedness, response, and recovery. Its efforts emphasize capacity building, communication, and collaboration to strengthen First Nations' resilience and self-determination in managing health emergencies across the province.

First Nations communities

Chief and Council are responsible for activating their emergency management plans. When the emergency situation overwhelms the First Nation's ability to respond, First Nations may request assistance from the BC Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.

Communicating emergency information to community members is the responsibility of the affected First Nation's community leadership. The information may be delivered at community meetings, on social media, the First Nation's webpage, bulletin boards, or a public address system. The BC Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness will also post information, directions, and orders on their social media feeds.

Province of British Columbia

At the provincial level, emergency alerts are pushed to mobile and wireless devices, coastal sirens for tsunamis, and public announcements on radio and television. Local police services will also communicate information through a public address system.

In communities at risk of tsunami, local police services, resources permitting, will assist emergency management officials by driving through neighbourhoods announcing evacuation orders.