B.C. residents who are ordered to leave their homes due to wildfire danger are being asked to leave a note for emergency personnel as part of their evacuation plan.
The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP has sent out an example of a note that can be left behind letting officials know everyone has got out safely.
As the North Okanagan is such a large area and there are a number of rural properties, it can be very difficult to know if everyone is accounted for, police said.
Once an evacuation order is issued, the first priority will always be life safety,
Warren Smith, emergency management coordinator for the City of Armstrong said in a release.
We are asking our residents who are on evacuation alert, as part of your emergency preparedness plan, to prepare a note you can leave at your property should you be evacuated. The note should be posted in a highly visible location and should include your family name, when you left, where you are, and a contact number you can be reached at.
As of Tuesday, there are 35 states of local emergency in B.C., 86 evacuation orders affecting 8,262 properties, along with 125 evacuation alerts affecting 22,729 properties.