Vancouver Island and its near-by neighbours have unique emergency preparedness needs caused by being island communities. We live in a seismically active region, face ocean based threats of tsunamis and tanker spills, experience severe and sudden floods, and have communities in heavily forested fire sensitive areas. With our unique isolation, there is a need to build teamwork among island communities and to share our success stories. This is the 6th annual conference to bring together Gulf and Vancouver Island emergency preparedness volunteers and staff, giving them an opportunity to meet each other, establish mutual help networks, and hear from some experts in the emergency preparedness field. 

This annual conference will bring 350 dedicated volunteers together to learn new skills and knowledge from experts, share experiences and information with each other, build bridges between Island communities and between the different groups of volunteers, and to renew their commitment to helping in their communities.