Gatensbury fire exposes problems in Coquitlam’s emergency response program

On March 7, a structure fire tore through 523 Gatensbury St.

While most residents were able to eventually move back in, a total of 24 homes were lost, forcing some residents to leave the city.

Besides displacing dozens of residents, the Gatensbury apartment fire may have exposed the limits of the city’s response to emergencies.

The implications are unnerving, noted, Coun. Craig Hodge during a council discussion Monday.

“This was one apartment building. What if this had been an interface fire and we had to evacuate half the plateau or a section of Burke Mountain?”

There are “underlying social challenges around housing” that make emergency response more challenging, agreed the city’s risk and emergency manager Nicole Kimmitt.

“We don’t have hotel beds to even deal with an apartment fire,” Hodge said. The situation underscores the need for a regional response to emergencies, he added.

“Smaller communities seem to be more prepared because you rely more on your neighbours . . . but with 2.8 million people in the Lower Mainland, we are the biggest community but we seem to not have a plan in place to help each other,” Hodge said.

The housing affordability crisis is one of the reasons the city’s Emergency Support Services program doesn’t have the resources to meet the new provincial requirements, according to a city staff report.

The ESS program – which is designed to ensure people have food, a place to stay, as well as clothing and transportation following a disaster – is largely funded by the province. However, municipalities are in charge of making sure that support gets where it needs to go.

Besides essentials, the program is now designed to offer social and emotional support.

In the past, supports have generally been offered for 72 hours. In the case of the Gatensbury fire, the city offered support for 12 weeks as tenants ended up being “widely dispersed throughout the region,” according to a city staff report.

Besides the strain on the tenants, the lack of housing options in Coquitlam also meant the city’s ESS team needed to co-ordinate with other cities in the region.

With a lack of housing and a shortage of hotels, finding accommodations for displaced residents is getting harder, explained city manager Raul Allueva.

Following a fire or other disaster, it’s usually necessary to house displaced people at municipal facilities. However, “most local ESS programs, including Coquitlam, are not well positioned to meet this regional need,” stated a city staff report.

The city’s response to the Gatensbury fire was one of the most extensive in Coquitlam’s history, said Jim Ogloff, the city’s community safety general manager.

“It is crucial that we come together as a community and offer our collective strength, compassion and resources to help those in need,” he told council.