Central Okanagan

Photo: Melissa Ligertwood

Make sure your fire is completely extinguished and cold to the touch before leaving your campsite

The weekend isn't quite over yet, but so far, fire incidents are low around the Okanagan and BC's Interior, says Fire Information Officer, Michaela Swan.

"The numbers are pretty low given the number of people expected in the back country this weekend," said Swan.

Victoria Day long weekend is the first big camping weekend in BC and also coincides with many high school graduation parties. 

Kamloops Fire Centre reported only one new fire between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, which ignited in the Wallachin area just west of Kamloops. An update on that fire is expected on Monday or Tuesday.  

In the South Okanagan, there were two reports of individuals burning in contravention of the current fire prohibition. Fire and conservation authorities also discovered three abandoned campfires.

Swan reminds the public to please make sure fires are completely extinguished and cold to the touch before packing up and leaving a campsite.

Although this May long weekend has been relatively incident-free, Swan warns that the last day of a long weekend can tip the scales.

"Traditionally, we see the numbers climb on Monday as campers pack up and head home. The likelihood increases for abandoned campfires," said Swan.

The 2013 World of Wheels took place Sunday in Peachland with hundreds of cars and thousands of people making their way down to Beach Avenue. 

As one of the biggest car shows in the Okanagan, there was no shortage of classics, muscles, vintage and rare makes and models.

Below is a sampling of some cars from the show:

 

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

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Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

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Photo: Contributed - World of Wheels

One of the largest car shows in the BC Interior will take place this weekend when the World of Wheels Show and Shine rolls into Peachland.

This one-day event will take place on May 19 from 11a.m. – 4 p.m. in the downtown core and is expected to bring over 500 classic and antique cars along with other forms of transportation.

“There will be lots of motorcycles this year, including vintage motorcycles,” says Pam Cunningham, World of Wheels committee chair. “We will also have vintage boats on display in the downtown day wharf.”

World of Wheels began in 1997, now, 16 years later, the festivities will include two live bands and a bouncy castle for the kids. There will be vendors in Cousins Park and throughout downtown along with the usual long weekend fare of ice cream, cold drinks and doughnuts.

In order to make way for World of Wheels, parking will not be allowed on Beach Avenue from the Peachland Museum to Eighth Street after midnight on Saturday – any vehicles left parked in the area will be towed Sunday morning.

“Because of the sheer volume of entries, we encourage everyone to stay away from downtown Peachland with their personal vehicles,” says Cunningham. “By 11 a.m., there simply will not be any parking available.”

Traffic will be rerouted for the car show and Beach Avenue will be closed from First to Eighth Streets. A limited number of handicap parking spaces will be available on Beach Avenue in front of Cousins Park that can be accessed from the north end of downtown.

A rickshaw-type bicycle service will be provided by Beach Ride Rental Company to transport those with mobility issues from the Peachland Community Centre to First Street and back again.

To further help pedestrians, two school buses that will run from Clements Crescent, next to Peachland Centre Mall, to the corner of 13th Street and Beach Avenue and then down Beach Avenue to the car show, picking up pedestrians along the way. Both of these rides will be by donation.

On Thursday May 10, members of Vernon IRSU/NOTS conducted Aggressive Driving Enforcement on Hwy 97 near Oyama. 

Over the course of two hours, 30 violation tickets were issued for speeding, along with 6 tickets for not having a valid license or other traffic offences.  Two vehicles were impounded for 7 days and their drivers were charged with excessive speed for traveling 45 and 53 km/hr in excess of the posted 90 km/hr speed limit.  

Photo: Contributed - popcenter.org

On Saturday night another vehicle was impounded by Vernon IRSU for the excessive speed of 114 km/h in a 50 zone.

May 13-20 is Canada Road Safety Week, a national campaign aimed at making Canada's roads the safest in the world.

This campaign is a police initiative designed to remind people that an essential part of the enforcement job is to save lives and reduce injuries on our roadways.   Educating the public about safe driving practices is a priority.  The focus will be on behaviors that put drivers, passengers and other road users most at risk. 

These are: impaired driving, seat belt use, and all aspects related to aggressive and distracted driving.  All enforcement agencies across the country have been invited to participate.

Canada Road Safety Week is sponsored by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) and Transport Canada and is part of Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2015, which has a goal of making Canada's roads the safest in the world by 2015.

Fire departments throughout the Central Okanagan have approved a new Energency Mutual Aid Agreement.

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet File Photo

The City of Kelowna's ladder truck was used during the 2005 apartment fire at Bay Vista on Boucherie Road

The final approval came Thursday when the Regional District of Central Okanagan signed off on the five year agreement.

The agreement updates the formulas and provisions for cost recovery when emergency resources are requested by another fire department in the region.

"All the region's fire departments agree they will provide, on request, equipment and staff in the event a fire or other emergency requires more equipment and manpower than the requesting fire department has available," says RDCO communications officer, Bruce Smith.

"For example, before West Kelowna had a ladder truck, the City of Kelowna, through the Mutual Aid Agreement, would provide the ladder truck to West Kelowna when requested. The agreement lays out the cost that would be associated with that."

Smith says this agreement replaces the previous agreement signed back in 2008.

"It reflects updated costs for equipment and labour. All of the municipalities have agreed to the new terms," says Smith.

"The Regional Board, because it's responsible for the regional emergency and rescue program was the final one to adopt the agreement."

The agreement covers day to day emergencies and requests specifically and not large situations such as the 2009 Glenrosa Fire where cost recovery would have come under the Provincial Emergency Program.