(Online) COV Emergency Preparedness – Personal & Household
2025-11-27 19:00 - 20:15 (America/Vancouver) | BC
Learn how to prepare for disasters and emergencies in Vancouver. This online session introduces you to the practical steps to preparedness: knowing your risks, making a plan, gathering your supplies, staying informed, and connecting with neighbours.

(Online) Emergency Preparedness
2025-12-09 14:00 - 15:30 | BC
Learn how to prepare for disasters and emergencies in Vancouver, including a big earthquake. This session introduces you to practical steps you can take including knowing risks, making a plan, gathering supplies, staying informed, and connecting with your neighbours.
To join this Zoom event you will need a computer, tablet or phone with internet access. A link to join the Zoom session will be sent by email ahead of the program.
Presented by the Vancouver Public Library in partnership with Vancouver Emergency Management Agency (VEMA).

Jumpstart your Household's Emergency Preparedness
2026-01-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Dunbar Community Centre, 4747 Dunbar St, Vancouver, BC, V6S 2H2, Canada
Has emergency preparedness been on your ‘to do’ list for awhile? Have you or your family stalled on getting prepared because it feels too overwhelming or time-consuming?
Dunbar Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness invites you to a 1-hour talk by emergency preparedness expert Jackie Kloosterboer on Wednesday January 21 at 7 p.m. at the Dunbar Community Centre, Room 202.
Come learn some basic steps to overcome inertia and get your household ready for emergencies such as an extended power outage or an earthquake. Getting prepared doesn’t have to be complicated or costly – even a small amount of preparedness goes a long way!
Jackie brings to this topic over 30 years of experience in emergency preparedness training and providing front line support to people who have been displaced from their homes because of fire or other disasters. She has seen first hand the importance of being prepared, and will share with us the basic steps we can all take to protect our families and our homes. You can learn more about Jackie’s background on her website: https://www.survive-it.ca/.
Register below for this free in-person talk. Seating will be limited.

Workshop: Water Security Planning for a Post-Disaster Situation
2026-02-14 10:30 - 12:00 | Dunbar Community Centre, 4747 Dunbar St, Vancouver, BC, V6S 2H2, Canada
Water-Feb-2026-1 (1)
Summary:
Dunbar Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness (DEEP) invites you to a 1.5-hour workshop on how to deal with a disruption to our supply of clean drinking water in the aftermath of a powerful regional earthquake. As a disruption of our water system could potentially last a long time, it is important to be prepared to address this challenge.
What You’ll Learn:

how to effectively prepare and position an adequate supply of drinking water for you and your family to use in case of disaster
how to render water potable

This free event will be held on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the Dunbar Community Centre (room 202), 4747 Dunbar Street.
DEEP member Chris Green will lead the workshop on preparing for water security following a disaster.
Please register for this in-person talk below. Seating will be limited.

B.C. Housing's Rapid Damage Assessment Program - An Introduction
2026-03-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Dunbar Community Centre, 4747 Dunbar St, Vancouver, BC, V6S 2H2, Canada
Dunbar Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness (DEEP) invites you to its Annual General Meeting which features a presentation on B.C Housing’s Rapid Damage Assessment Program. The business portion of the meeting will be very brief, and will be followed by John Halldorson’s introduction to B.C Housing’s Rapid Damage Assessment Program.
Earthquakes, floods and windstorms can cause significant damage to structures, posing serious risks to occupants. Buildings should therefore be assessed for hazards following a disaster, to determine whether they can be safely entered or occupied.
As professionals may not be immediately available to evaluate the structure, it is important for building owners/occupants to have the skills and training necessary to conduct a Rapid Damage Assessment. B.C. Housing’s Rapid Damage Assessment program is designed to provide non-professionals with the basic skills to identify unsafe conditions in wood frame, masonry and concrete structures caused by floods, earthquakes or windstorms.
Join DEEP’s John Halldorson for an introduction to this program on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Dunbar Community Centre (Room 202), 4747 Dunbar Street.

Workshop: Emergency Waste Management After a Disaster
2026-03-21 10:30 - 12:00 | Dunbar Community Centre, 4747 Dunbar St, Vancouver, BC, V6S 2H2, Canada
Disaster Sanitation DEEP – March 2026 rev
How Will You Manage Without Plumbing After a Disaster?
Dunbar Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness (DEEP) invites you to a 1.5-hour workshop on an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of disaster preparedness—creating a safe and effective waste management system when plumbing fails.
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026
Time: 10:30 AM -12:00
Location: Dunbar Community Centre (Room 212), 4747 Dunbar Street
A major regional earthquake could severely damage our water and sewer systems, leaving communities without working toilets and plumbing for weeks or months. This workshop tackles the practical steps necessary to manage waste safely and hygienically when regular waste disposal systems are down.
What You’ll Learn:
✅ How to set up a sanitation plan for your home and neighbourhood
✅ Easy-to-find materials for safe waste disposal and handwashing stations
✅ How to create a backup system now so you’re prepared if disaster strikes
This workshop will equip you with practical skills to maintain hygiene and keep your household and community safe.
Registration is required as seating is limited.
We look forward to seeing you there. If this event books up, please consider joining our mailing list and keep an eye on our website to find out about our next events.

Wildfire/Emergency Preparedness Open House
2026-05-02 10:30 - 13:00 | Dunbar Disaster Support Hub, 4747 Dunbar Street, Vancouver, BC, V6S 2H2, Canada
With the 2024 construction blaze at 41st and Collingwood still in recent memory, local residents will be interested in learning how to prepare for the risk of house fires caused by a major earthquake or a forest fire in nearby Pacific Spirit Park.
Come with your family to the May 2 Wildfire and Emergency Preparedness Open House hosted by Dunbar Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness (DEEP) and FireSmart B.C.
Check out information booths and demonstrations from community partners including:

DEEP and VECTOR HAM radio operators
Pacific Spirit MedVents
Vancouver Fire Rescue and FireSmart BC
UBC Engineering Shake Table
Canadian Red Cross
Survive-It Disaster Preparedness
Total Prepare (a supplier of emergency preparedness products)
Metro Vancouver Emergency Management and Pacific Spirit Park Society
BC Hydro
KOM Community Policing Centre.

A small fire engine will also be on site for children to explore.
The event will take place at the Disaster Support Hub beside the tennis courts in the park behind the Community Centre, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This free event is made possible by funding support from the Province of BC, FireSmart Canada and Vancity.
Photo credit to John Denniston

Know the Risks - Be Prepared! North Shore Rescue presentation
2026-09-23 19:00 - 20:00 | St. Philip’s Anglican Church Gymnasium, 3737 W. 27th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6S 1R2, Canada
Many of us enjoy recreational activities in our local mountains. However, not all of us are prepared for the possible problems that can arise in the backcountry. Come learn the steps you and your family can take to stay safe when exploring local trails and wilderness.
In this session a lifetime member of North Shore Rescue will present examples of real incidents which have occurred over the years and will discuss preventative measures to ensure that you have up to date information about how to stay safe.
Preparation isn’t about guaranteeing nothing will go wrong. It’s about being ready when something does.
The presentation will also describe how rescue techniques have evolved using satellite communications, helicopters, search and rescue technology and advanced medical practitioners.
Wally Kerchum has over 25 years of volunteer service with North Shore Rescue. He has extensive experience with a wide range of rescues and has specialized training in rope rescue techniques. He now concentrates on Wilderness Safety Training and directs the team’s Trail Safety program.
