Kamloops recently hosted the largest emergency services summit in 13 years, drawing hundreds of professionals to discuss disaster management and collaborative support strategies.
Kamloops served as the epicenter for crisis management professionals this spring, as the city hosted the largest emergency services summit seen in over a decade. The event brought together more than 400 attendees representing 62 unique entities from across British Columbia.
A Collaborative Approach to Crisis Management
Organized by the Network of Emergency Support Services Teams (NESST), the conference ran from April 17–19, acting as a vital hub for networking and skill-building.. Participants included a diverse mix of delegates from 13 First Nations and Indigenous governments, 10 regional districts, and 21 municipalities.. By rotating the host city each year, NESST ensures that emergency personnel, volunteers, and provincial agencies can share localized knowledge in a way that is both supportive and culturally respectful.
Hosting the event in Kamloops provided a unique vantage point for attendees to see the logistics behind large-scale response efforts.. Tours of the Provincial Wildfire Centre and the Central Provincial Regional Emergency Operations Centre offered a behind-the-scenes look at how the region handles massive environmental threats.. This deep integration with local facilities helps bridge the gap between abstract policy and ground-level reality.
The Evolution of Emergency Support
Beyond the logistical tours, the conference schedule was packed with leadership meetings and specialized workshops.. A significant portion of the programming focused on Indigenous partnership, highlighted by a strong collaboration with Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc Emergency Preparedness.. From therapy dog wellness stations to live graphic recording of sessions, the event prioritized the holistic needs of the responders themselves, recognizing that the emotional toll of disaster work is just as significant as the technical requirements.
The urgency of these gatherings is underscored by the recent history of British Columbia.. With recurring threats from wildfires, flooding, and landslides, the landscape for emergency support services (ESS) is constantly shifting.. As Jillian Zielinski, vice president of NESST, noted, there is no single ‘correct’ way to support evacuees.. Every community faces unique obstacles, and sharing recruitment strategies and training techniques remains the most effective way to improve outcomes for displaced residents.
What started in 2013 as a small gathering of 50 volunteers in Burns Lake has ballooned into a cornerstone event for public safety.. The steady growth of the summit mirrors the increasing complexity of provincial disaster response.. By 2026, the demand had grown so significantly that over 900 tickets were sold for the Kamloops iteration, signaling a clear shift in how seriously municipalities and agencies are taking cross-jurisdictional cooperation.
This trend toward unified, multi-agency training is not merely a bureaucratic preference; it is a necessity driven by the scale of modern climate events.. When a wildfire or flood transcends municipal boundaries, the ability of disparate groups to communicate seamlessly can be the difference between a chaotic evacuation and an orderly, safe transition for families in need.. The success of this year’s summit in Kamloops proves that the province is moving toward a more integrated future, where shared experience and proactive relationship-building act as the first line of defense against the next inevitable crisis.