An earthquake early warning system isn’t in the cards for School District 43 because of concerns about cost and effectiveness.
Such a system was promoted by parents at Irvine elementary who are waiting for their school to be rebuilt, but finding a suitable technology, paying for it and making sure it works is a job better suited to the education ministry, said board chair Kerri Palmer Isaak.
“Our staff looked into some items that were being tried right now and used in some situations and there was not one that had an outstanding result or outcome that staff recommended to the board,” Palmer Isaak said.
“We've made a request to the ministry involved, we really believe we need consistency across the province on this item and also they might have some expertise in this area. We don’t have this kind of expertise,” she told The Tri-City News, adding that SD43 isn’t the only school district in need of an early warning system.
A report to the board found four earthquake early warning systems being piloted in the province, costing between $1,500 and $50,000 depending on the service. They could signal a quake but notification times were variable — enough time to drop, cover and hold on but not necessarily to evacuate, the report stated.
“One would then have to reconcile this response, with the cost effectiveness and accuracy in seismically challenged structures, where remaining in a building could still be problematic,” the report noted.
SD43 will ask both the ministry of education and the BC School Trustees’ Association to look into issue, Palmer Isaak said.
