Community Emergency Preparedness Fund

In order to help BC municipalities better prepare for disasters, the Province signed an agreement with the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) to establish a $32 million fund for specific programs to increase local government resilience in the face of disasters. The funds will be administered by UBCM with some assistance from the Province where UBCM requests technical expertise (e.g. assessing flood projects). The funding is divided into five streams:

  • Emergency operations centres and training:The intent of this funding stream is to support the purchase of equipment and supplies required to maintain or improve Emergency Operations Centres (EOC) and to enhance EOC capacity through training and exercises.
  • Grants of up to $25,000 with an application deadline of February 2, 2017
  • Flood risk assessment, flood mapping & flood mitigation planning - The intent of this funding stream is to support eligible applicants to ensure they have accurate knowledge of the flood hazards they face and to develop effective strategies to mitigate and prepare for those risks.
  • Grants of up to $150,000 with an application deadline of October 27, 2017
  • Emergency Social Services - The intent of this funding stream is to support eligible applicants to build local capacity to provide emergency social services through training, volunteer recruitment and retention, and the purchase of equipment.
  • Grants of up to $25,000 with an application deadline of November 17, 2017
  • Structural Flood Mitigation - The intent of this funding stream is to support eligible applicants to prevent, eliminate or reduce the impacts of hazards through construction of structural flood mitigation projects. Ongoing operational costs are not eligible.
  • Grants of up to $750,000 with an application deadline of April 13, 2018
  • Evacuation Route Planning–The intent of this funding stream is to support applicants to develop evacuation route plans for communities that would be challenged to remove people to safety in the event of an emergency.
  • Program details underdevelopment and will follow in late 2017

With the exception of Evacuation Route Planning, UBCM has developed applications program guides and has posted applications deadlines and the process for applying on its website ( ). The development of the Evacuation Route Program guide will follow once staff from the BC Wildfire Service are available to provide technical expertise.

The UBCM program officer is Rebecca Bishop:

  • 250-387-4470

UBCM will be conducting a workshop on its funding programs, including CEPF, on Monday 25 September.

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Page 1

Emergency Management British Columbia (EMBC)

September 2017