COMMUNITY – Juniper residents invited to try out new emergency road routes

Juniper Ridge residents are being invited to take part in self-driven emergency evacuation route tours to familiarize themselves with two of the three emergency evacuation routes from the neighbourhood.

Since the interface fire that took place in Juniper on July 1, 2021, the City has worked with property owners to improve emergency evacuation routes and educate residents on the evacuation process and how evacuation routes are utilized.

Residents are invited to pre-register for the Saturday, July 29, tours of two of the three evacuation routes — the Juniper East emergency evacuation route from Kickinghorse Drive that connects to Valleyview Drive and the Coldwater Drive emergency route leading to High Canada Place.

The tours will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and will take about five to 15 minutes each to complete. The Galore Drive emergency evacuation route is accessible; however, it is not included in the route tour. Residents can register for one or both of the tours by visiting Kamloops.ca/EvacuationRoutes.

“We’re opening up two of the three evacuation routes for residents to drive them,” said Will Beatty, the City’s emergency preparedness manager.

“It’s an opportunity for residents to drive the routes so they can see where the routes begin and end and experience the different terrain and the road navigation in case they ever need to be on it.

“Vehicles will be led down the route by a pilot vehicle to limit speed and ensure driver safety. This will mimic the process that will be used in the event of an emergency,” Beatty said.

“Since there are limited time slots and each registered time slot will allow a maximum of 10 vehicles, residents are encouraged to carpool with neighbours to allow as many residents to experience the routes as possible.”

For the purpose of the tours, vehicles are limited to cars, SUVs, and trucks.

During the tours and in the event of a real fire, City and emergency response staff will be stationed at various points along the emergency access routes.

Residents are advised that the tours are not mock evacuations. They are escorted, self-driven tours of the emergency evacuation routes to allow staff to test their emergency procedures and to provide residents with driveable access to gain confidence and understand the routes.

In the event of an emergency, Highland Road — the only public road in and out of Juniper Ridge — will still be utilized to evacuate residents.

In the event of an emergency, designated City staff and emergency responders will determine the safest evacuation route for residents, dependent on the emergency situation, and provide appropriate direction and traffic control to get residents out safely.

The emergency evacuation route to be used will be travelled in advance of allowing public access to ensure the route is in safe condition at the time of the event, that there are no trees or obstructions across the road, and that the route is not at risk of compromise from the current emergency before unlocking the gates and escorting public traffic along the route.

Residents who are unable to attend the tour can access the emergency evacuation route information and procedures online at Kamloops.ca/EvacuationRoutes.