FRIDAY JULY 17, 2015
FORT STEELE
MCVITTIE HOUSE OPENS
See LOCAL NEWS page 2
KOOTENAY DANCE ACADEMY
SUMMER DANCE INTENSIVE
See LOCAL NEWS page 8
RCMP make arrest in break and enter cases
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THE BULLETIN PROUDLY SERVING KIMBERLEY AND AREA SINCE 1932 | Vol. 83, Issue 137 | www.dailybulletin.ca
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Centre 64 broken into again; police says suspect arrested involved in some, but not all, recent break ins C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
Kimberley RCMP have made an arrest of a suspect they believe may be involved in some of the numerous break and enter thefts in the last few weeks. But they do not believe the suspect, a 26-year old man, is responsible for all the reported incidents. The suspect was arrested for shoplifting on July 15 and follow up investigation linked him to a break and enter along with several thefts in Kimberley, says Cpl. Chris Newel of the Kimberley RCMP. Newel says the suspect has no fixed address but has been around Kimberley for a while. He is believed to be originally from Cranbrook. “Over the past several weeks there have been numerous thefts in the Kimberley area,” Newel said. “Police have been focusing their efforts on making an arrest, following up on leads and implementing some covert investigative techniques. “During the arrest, police were able to gain additional evidence to support charges on other incidents. Currently the subject is in custody and police will be taking him before a Judicial Justice of the Peace later today. See ARREST, page 4
Water times There’s a bit of confusion over what times people are allowed to water under the new mandatory restrictions. Hours of water are 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Odd numbered houses water on odd dates, even on even dates.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Ah, summer holidays. Tanner L’Heureux, age 6, of Kimberley, made the most of his summer holidays by catching his very first fish at Koocanusa. Send us your summer fun pictures - editor@dailybulletin.ca
Planning for evacuation or other emergency Assistant Fire Chief talks about Kimberley’s evacuation plan C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
Kimberley’s Assistant Fire Chief Rick Prasad visited the Kimberley Rotary Club meeting this week to talk about the City of Kimberley’s evacuation plan in the event of a forest fire or other emergency. Wildfires are very much on people’s minds these days, and Prasad outlined a few things you can do to make it easier to respond to an evacuation order. The first thing that would happen if a fire was burning close enough to pose a threat to Kimberley is that an evacuation alert would go out. At this point, you should prepare a bag with necessities if you don’t already have one.
You’ll need a few changes of clothes, toiletries, medications, prescription glasses if you need them, supplies for your pet and more. It’s important to have a plan for where you will go, Prasad said. In most scenarios involving fire, residents will be directed to either go north to Invermere or south to Cranbrook. If you have friends you can stay with, arrange that. If you don’t, you will likely end up in a reception centre at an arena or community hall. “You’ll be sharing a bedroom with 500 other people, so it’s always better if you can stay with friends,” he said. “Hotels will fill up quickly.” An evacuation order can come at any time once an alert has been issued, so don’t assume you’ll all be home together. You may be at work. Your kids may be at school. Pre-arrange a place where you can
all meet. Prasad says that although he doesn’t advocate keeping kids from school, in the event of an alert being issued some parents may choose to do so to keep their kids close. If you have the care of a disable person, you should have a plan on how to best move that person. And keep up with social media as often that’s the best way to get a message out quickly. An evacuation order must be signed by municipal officials. “When people come to your door and tell you to leave, they should have a paper in their hands,” Prasad said. “If you are leaving with your own vehicle, there may be a check point on the way out of town. Make sure you check in, that’s how emergency personnel will know who has left. There will be security in place in town.” Residential homes such as Garden View and the Pines have their
own evacuation plans and will transport their residents out. Overall, in an emergency situation, the RCMP are the primary resource with other resources like the fire department assisting. Prasad said that even with recent rain and cooler weather this week, the soil and trees are still very dry. “That’s why they haven’t lifted the campfire ban.” The City has done a lot of Fire Smart thinning of areas around Kimberley, such as the Nature Park, in order to slow down a fire. “In the past 50 years we have been suppressing fires and that has allowed a lot of undergrowth, what we call ladder fuels to build up. We looked at potential problem areas in Kimberley. We started with the most difficult areas and reduced the fuel load. See FIRE, page 4