Submitted by City of Nelson
Nelson city council has identified emergency preparedness as one of its top strategic priorities and has worked to meet this goal by hiring an emergency management co-ordinator and developing Nelson’s emergency operation centre.
The city officially welcomed Dave McAllister as the new emergency management co-ordinator on Sept. 23. McAllister brings a vast amount of emergency management experience to help the community prepare for, respond to and recover from more challenging emergency events such as wildfire, hazardous materials releases, severe weather events and other risks.
“The community as a whole will benefit from the new emergency management co-ordinator position,” says Fire Chief Len MacCharles. “The city is incredibly fortunate to have secured someone with Dave’s background and experience, and I am looking forward to working with him.”
McAllister spent 30 years with the Canadian Armed Forces, retiring as a major, followed by several years with FortisBC, developing emergency response plans and training exercises. He has worked in numerous local government emergency operations centres. His military background, combined with his emergency management training and experience, will greatly assist the city in improving our emergency preparedness.
McAllister will be working with all city departments as well as community groups, businesses, and members of the community.