Sirens could be heard wailing throughout the Silver Star community Tuesday night.
Representatives from numerous agencies gathered to test evacuation procedures along the Deafies Creek forestry road in case of a wildfire.
“The evacuation convoy of vehicles rolled out on to the evacuation route,” said Brad Baker, with the Silver Star Fire Department.
“We drove the route to the receiving check point on the hydro transmission lines, where we pulled off a beautifully orchestrated turn-around in one big loop of all 23 vehicles in-line about three-quarters of a kilometer in length. We then drove back to the village.”
Prior to the mock evacuation, the fire department demonstrated sprinkler protection units while a variety of emergency vehicles were on display.
Inside the fire hall, stations were operated by the Silver Star department, Vernon Search and Rescue, Emergency Social Services, B.C. Wildfire and Silver Star Mountain Resort.
“At these stations, we explained and answered questions with regards to the role each agency would play in the event of a wildfire at or threatening Silver Star Mountain,” said Baker.
“The single biggest point of interest was the Deafies evacuation route, which we had mapped out on a Google Earth photo and described it in detail several times over. Residents were asked to register to tour the road.”