For Immediate Release
August 20, 2023
The Town of Oliver Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is currently helping coordinate the Town’s protection of the Wastewater Treatment Facility that is located off of Fairview Road, supporting the Town’s Emergency Support Services (ESS), and participating in RDOS EOC updates.
With favorable weather conditions today BC Wildfire Service was able to reinforce their fireguards and protect properties. The most southerly boundary of the Upper Park Rill Creek Wildfire remains approximately 10 kilometers from the most northerly boundary of the Town of Oliver. At this time there are no homes in Oliver on Evacuation Alert or Evacuation Order.
Air Quality
A special air quality statement was issued for the Penticton area by the Government of Canada due to the smoky skies. As per Environment Canada, wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone’s health even at low concentrations. Resources from the Government of Canada and the BC Centre for Disease Control can be found in the links below.
https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-84_metric_e.html
The Town of Oliver Bylaw Team will continue to carry water in the Bylaw Van to aid residents that are outside with the current air quality.
Irrigation (Canal) Water Systems 1 and 5
The request to our Irrigation customers (orchards, farms, wineries) in Zones 1 and 5 (west side of town) to irrigate as much as possible without compromising their crops is appreciated but is not as pertinent as when the initial request was issued, due to the current stability of the fire. A subsequent VoyentAlert! notification will be issued when the request to irrigate in Systems 1 and 5 has been rescinded.
Donations
For people wishing to donate to the amazing groups in the South Okanagan actively working to support people impacted by wildfires, links to today’s RDOS News Release and the Community Foundation South Okanagan Fire Response are below.
https://www.rdos.bc.ca/newsandevents/rdos-news/hot-topics/article/4585
https://cfso.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1226
The Town is continuing to monitor the situation through BC Wildfire, the RDOS and Oliver resources on the ground and will provide more information as it has updates.
VoyentAlert! Emergency notifications will be issued by the Town as required. Please sign up for VoyentAlert! notifications to stay informed.
https://voyent-alert.com/ca/community/#registration
Rochelle Lougheed
Information Officer