Quick Bits: Road Trip Through Wildfire Recovery and Community Resilience

It’s your host, Tim Conrad of the Wildfires, Floods and Chaos Communications podcast, with a Quickbits update from Kamloops, on the unceded land of the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc. 

If you were following along on our YouTube, LinkedIn or TikTok channels or on my LinkedIn page, you saw updates from a nearly 3,000-kilometre road trip. It was a beautiful adventure past mountains and prairies, and over 100 wild animals. 

I went to Jasper, where I saw a town rebuilding at an impressive scale, and the forest regrowing after the ugly fires from two years ago. The magnificence of Jasper remains intact, and I was so happy to feel the hope among community members and see the street buzzing with visitors. 

Next up was Edmonton, where I attended and spoke faster than lightning at the CRHNet Symposium, and saw and met many incredible professionals in Emergency Management. Getting time with legends while there, including Marion Boon, Michel Doré, and Jodi Manz-Henezi, was among the highlights. Some folks are giddy over politicians and celebrities; I love meeting those who make us better. 

After a brief stop in St. Albert, I was off to Whitecourt, where, along with my colleague Ellen MacCormack of Exposure PDP, I hosted a presentation for local governments. If you need a lunch & learn session – we recorded it – just send me a note, and I’ll give you confidential access to this insider’s look at managing emergencies. 

Next was a few days in our former home, Grande Prairie, where I caught up with former colleagues at Aquatera Utilities, the municipal water, wastewater, and solid waste company. We did incredible work during my time there, and driving around the region, I saw campaigns, sponsorships, and even head office branding that remain in the community over a decade later. Do it right, and you do it once. We listened, and that really shows now. 

It was also my first time back in the fire halls of the County of Grande Prairie after retiring in 2016. I was incredibly proud to walk in and see one of the recruits I helped train serving as acting Captain, and to hear stories from firefighters of the department’s involvement in the Jasper fires and recent wildfires in their region. I sure do miss sitting in the back of those rigs with all of my sisters and brothers; it instantly brought back a load of pride from building a brand new fire service. 

From there, I hopped over to the stunningly beautiful and relaxing Tumbler Ridge for a night. While there, I sat down with Trent Ernst from the Tumbler RidgeLine News. It captured his experience from standing outside the school when the shelter-in-place alert came through, to the long journey of healing he is determined to take the town on. Here’s a preview. 

Trent Ernst (02:57)
there were people saying stupid things online. and I I made a post on Facebook saying, you know, we can have hard conversations. We can we can talk to people who disagree with us, but without it turning into a he said, she said, without it turning into a you suck

I you know, I know everything and your your opinion is completely invalid. Yeah. and so one of the things that I am trying to do is to leave space for those conversations, but also

Help people navigate those conversations with sensitivity.

Tim Conrad

While Tumbler Ridge will be etched in your mind for the tragic school shooting earlier this year, I want you to put this little town on your bucket list. This magical place has more waterfalls than you can imagine, trails for everyone and everything, gorgeous mountain views, dinosaur bones and freaking foot tracks preserved in rocks, and a quietness matched by the people who live there. If you go to Tumbler Ridge, you’ll find it remains on your bucket list permanently. 

The next few days were long and full. I motored over to Prince George – just a five-hour jump across the Pine Pass to meet with clients, longtime friends and team members. Then I zipped down to Williams Lake to my second home, where I’m always surrounded by friends who have become family. 

In all, there was time for conversations with hundreds of people who work in the world of chaos and communications. Beyond recording an episode, I also lined up over a dozen guests for future episodes. 

>>> >>> >>> Here’s a preview of our upcoming issue of The Migration Newsletter. Headlines to watch for:

·         ‘State of Emergency’ as a Northern Manitoba community faces a crisis as residents consider permanently leaving

·         An aid worker who showed up to help with the Ebola response was nearly killed by an angry mob who believes their organization brought the disease to their community

·         A Mexican billionaire scammed out of $450 million by a company in Russia posing as an investment firm

·         Vandals were responsible for an internet and phone outage, which impacted nearly half of British Columbia

Read more by subscribing to The Migration Newsletter on our website. www.communicationspodcast.com  >>> >>> >>>

The road trip was not without unknowns. I received multiple emergency alerts, ranging from a major water outage back home in Kamloops to a wildfire I drove by in Parkland County. Driving was a mitigation and response exercise, especially on the last two legs. In the final half, I narrowly avoided five crashes involving vehicles. 

·         First, my spare trailer tire detached while driving on a side road, which thankfully avoided a catastrophic moment on the highway a short time later. 

·         Next, hydroplaning nearly took me out – saved by letting off the gas and letting the tires ease back in. Years of driving in Nova Scotia pay off in those moments. 

·         Lastly, on the final day, I avoided three head-on collisions due to drivers who did not have enough time and space to pass. It might be me, but if anyone had a reason to rush, it was likely the fella on a 3,000-kilometre road trip. I was not happy that I had nearly three head-on collisions, including one in which I blocked a vehicle from passing at a dangerous corner – a move I’ve never felt necessary. Mitigation matters. 

A huge thanks to everyone who kept me safe, moving and warm on the trip. This includes those who are unseen, such as cleaners, road crews, emergency responders, weather forecasters, and restaurant and fuel-stop staff. While I may have driven over 42 hours in two weeks, you were working for everyone the entire time, and you were all vital to me. 

I’m hoping to sneak in another Live Episode very soon, so make sure you’ve subscribed to our LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook channels on our website. 

Do you have a guest or episode idea? Jump over to www.communicationspodcast.com to send a message and other ways to connect with us. I really appreciate every note you send and love bumping into listeners from across Canada and beyond.  My guests are especially happy when they hear about their episode from someone, as we’re all much too hard or quiet about ourselves and like anyone, they like being recognized. 

I hope you’ll join me on a Live Episode soon. 

Goodbye, hear me later.