Emergency Support Services to hold volunteer training

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C.– Emergency Support Services in Fort St. John is holding training sessions for future volunteers as the Hudson’s Hope evacuation order continues.

The sessions will be held from 1-2 pm on Friday and Saturday afternoons.

“[These are] for anybody that’s interested in helping out and learning the process,” Ryan Harvey, communications coordinator for the City of Fort St. John, said.

ESS in Fort St. John, he said, does not have a specific number of volunteers they currently need. Instead, they are looking for a group of people who are interested in getting involved that can be trained before they are needed.

Learning the ropes of the reception centre and other services can be hard, Harvey says, “when there’s a big line out the door.”

Interested attendees will be walked through how to fill out the paperwork required for evacuees to receive the services they need.

Currently, the ESS reception centre is located in the North Peace Arena at 9805 96th Avenue. It is staffed at any one time by between 12 and 24 volunteers.

The centre is open from 10 am- 2 pm and from 4 pm – 6 pm daily.

The District of Hudson’s Hope and surrounding areas are under evacuation alert and have been since September 10th. Residents were told to evacuate to Fort St. John.