Hello KSV Family!

With the continued fire activity around Kamloops, we are still actively monitoring the conditions around the city. We are speaking with our teams and support office in preparation of an evacuation alert if the wildfire situation escalates. With the forecasted rain today, the cooler weather, and possible shifts in the wind direction, we are hoping this will mitigate further encroachment on the City of Kamloops.

However, we just wanted to share a quick wildfire update since some family and friends are not familiar with our local area and the proximity of KSV to the nearby alerts and orders.

Nearby fires had active growth over the weekend, resulting in more evacuation orders and alerts closer to Kamloops. As of this morning – Kamloops Seniors Village IS NOT on Evacuation Alert, only the nearby Pineview Residential and Iron Mask/Versatile Industrial Areas are on alert as of 7 PM on Sunday, August 15, 2021.

If you or your loved one are concerned about the nearby fire situation, you are more than welcome to come and temporarily take them home until the fire risk decreases. We just need to know the destination they are going to (with contact information) so we can safely monitor everyone’s circumstances in the event we do have to evacuate, and so we can communicate updates once evacuation orders/alerts are rescinded.

Once again, we wanted to remind you all of our evacuation protocol in the event we have to evacuate due to a nearby interface fire. This evacuation is known as a “Code Green.” Luckily we ran through our Code Green drill recently back in May 2021 with our Independent-Assisted Living tenants and our staff in Complex Care, so the information is fresh in our minds.

We are required to evacuate the building when we are notified of an “Evacuation Alert”, due to the number of people that live at KSV. This will give us more time to evacuate residents to safety. We do not stay and wait for the “`Evacuation Order” which would greatly reduce the amount of time we have to leave the building.

Our tenants have a checklist on the back of their door of the items to bring with them – an overnight bag with a few days worth of clothing, personal care items, important documents/ID, valuables, medications, incontinence products, and if applicable, their pet in a pet carrier. Our Complex Care staff will pack the needed items for all residents in Full Care as we prepare to evacuate.

We will all muster by floor/neighbourhood and use our locally arranged resources for transportation to our designated evacuation centre (wherever that may be based on the current fire situation). Emergency food, water, and care supplies will accompany each bus. As mentioned, for families that can accommodate their loved one are encouraged to pick up and go to your residence in the interim, we just need to track everyone’s destination. We of course would provide communication to all families of the evacuation and provide necessary daily updates.

We remind our tenants & families to have those evacuation discussions in advance in the event we are put on alert. Do you plan on taking your loved one to your house, or will they evacuate with us/KSV? Having these conversations ahead of time will help you all have a tentative plan in place.

We wish for everyone’s safety during this now too close to home fire season.

Please reach out for any further instructions.