It's an exceptionally-hot mid-summer morning and it hasn't rained for weeks when a lightning strike southwest of Prince George sparks a wildfire that has grown out of control, forcing an evacuation of the Beaverly area while a northwest wind is pushing the blaze into city limits.
With the help of a 900-square-foot map of the city laid out on the floor of CN Centre, about 80 people representing a dozen agencies worked their way through what should happen next on Friday in what was described as a worst-case scenario.
City emergency programs manager Adam Davey said the exercise followed on two previous versions beginning with one on April 2 when they looked at a "tactical evacuation" or an immediate evacuation with responders knocking on doors and urging residents to leave.
That was followed on May 2 with a look at how a planned evacuation would work if the wildfire grew. "How would we talk to other agencies, how would we work together, how would we make sure the public is safe," Davey said.
Friday's "rehearsal concept drill" was the culmination.
"Just walking through both of those days on a large map," Davey said. "Rather than discussing it around a white board, now we're doing it as close to real time as we can get."
Their shoes covered with plastic booties to prevent scuffing, participants arranged signs and placed miniature vehicles on the map. Where livestock should be corralled and where pets should be housed were among the topics they dealt with.
"Emergency response is doing simple things in really challenging conditions," Davey said. "When the sky is smoky and people are scared and stressed, simple things become challenging which is why we're testing it out today - so that if an event ever hit, what process do we have to go through."
Along with roads, forested areas and elevations, the map also depicts the city's four colour-coded garbage collection zones which also act as the emergency evacuation zones should that need arise.
If an evacuation order is issued for a particular zone, residents in that area are encouraged to gather at CN Centre. While the vast majority of the city's population can simply drive, the elementary schools in each zone will act as mustering points for those who cannot and from there, they will be bused to the arena.
Regardless, Davey urged everyone to assemble a "grab and go" kit containing enough food, water, clothing and personal items to tide them over for a full 72 hours. He also encouraged people to subscribe to the city's emergency alert app.
Above all, he said there is no need to panic. While the risk of fire outside the city may have increased with the lack of water, Davey also noted the work to clear beetle-killed pine has lowered the risk within Prince George.
"Be prepared, know your zone, but still enjoy summer," he said.
