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Jackie Kloosterboer Appointed To Post Of ESSA Regional Representative For The Southwest Fraser Valley Region

April 22, 2004

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C.- The Emergency Social Services Association [ESSA], has announced the appointment of Jackie Kloosterboer, of Maple Ridge, B.C. to the position of Regional Representative for the Southwest Fraser Valley Region, effective immediately. This will be Jackie's first term as ESSA Regional Representative for the Southwest Fraser Valley region.

The Region Jackie is responsible for includes the communities of: Fraser Valley Regional District, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley, Hope, Kent, Harrison, Aggasiz, Mission, Boston Bar, Columbia Valley, Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows.

Jackie brings to the position a wealth of experience as a volunteer emergency management expert in her 7-year role as Deputy Emergency Social Services Director (ESSD) for Maple Ridge/ Pitt Meadows and, as of January 2004, she is the ESSD for that community. She has taken numerous courses in emergency management over the years augmenting that training with courses in media relations, public speaking and conflict resolution. Jackie has had the opportunity to practise her skills in a variety of disaster situations, including the Staffing Bureau in Kamloops and Family Reunification at the Red Cross for the Firestorms last summer. Jackie juggles her schedule between supporting her 2 teenage sons who are actively involved with sports while she attends Simon Fraser University on a part-time basis working towards her degree in business. Jackie works for the District of Maple Ridge in the Parks Department as the Park Director's Secretary as well as wearing the hat of Emergency Program Assistant.

ESSA is a non-profit organization founded in 1988 to support Emergency Social Services (ESS) volunteers and communities by providing education, awareness and networking opportunities to assist them in the development of their ESS plans for response to an emergency.

The responsibilities of an ESSA Regional Representative include supporting ESS volunteers in their region by maintaining regular contact with ESS Directors, Emergency Coordinators, Ministry of Human Resources staff, Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) regional managers, ESSA headquarters, and other volunteer response agencies in the region. ESSA Regional Representatives also coordinate educational seminars for ESS volunteers, convene annual meetings of ESSDs, alternates and key emergency response personnel in their region, promote ESSA membership, and provide quarterly reports for ESSA's quarterly newsletter, mESSAges.

Emergency Social Services are defined as those services that are provided short-term (generally 72 hours) to preserve the emotional and physical well being of evacuees and response workers in emergency situations. They include setting up reception centres for evacuees, food services, lodging, clothing, family reunification, personal services, and
other services necessary to support evacuees' and responders' immediate health and well-being. The ESS Program Office in Victoria, a branch of the Ministry of Human Resources, oversees the delivery of ESS in British Columbia.

There are more than 5,000 ESS volunteers in the province who are registered with the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) to provide ESS response in communities throughout British Columbia. ESSA represents the majority of those conscientious citizens through their community's membership in the organization.

Direct Contact:
Jackie Kloosterboer,
#10 - 11355 236 St., Maple Ridge, B.C. V2X 6A9
Residence phone: (604) 467-4349
E-Mail: jkloosterboer[at]mapleridge.org

Fast Facts:

• ESSA's primary source of funding comes from the Ministry of Human Resources, through the Ministry's ESS Program Office, and from fees paid by member communities throughout the province.
• ESSA communicates with its members through a newsletter, mESSAges, which is published on a quarterly basis and distributed to ESS volunteers throughout the province free-of-charge.
• Each year, ESSA offers a variety of seminars and workshops to support the work of ESS volunteers.
• ESSA organizes and hosts an annual meeting of ESS volunteers in each of the Provincial Emergency Program's (PEP's) six geographically designated regions of the province.
• ESSA has nine Regional Representatives in the six Provincial Emergency Program (PEP)-defined regions of the province who carry out the Association's mandate at the community level.
• Registered under the Societies Act of B.C., ESSA is governed by a volunteer board of directors consisting of 13 elected members (12 voting members).
• ESSA has 2 paid staff members: Acting Executive Director, Joan Smulders, and an Office Administrator.
• Emergency Social Services (ESS) Program with the Ministry of Human Resources is a volunteer-based emergency response program, providing basic needs to people affected by an emergency or disaster.
• When people in our community are forced from their homes due to an emergency, ESS volunteers step in to provide basic needs, such as food, clothing or lodging. Emergency Social Services are available for 72 hours immediately following the emergency, allowing affected residents the time to make more long-term arrangements and begin the recovery process.
• ESS Team members train throughout the year in preparation for disasters, volunteering not only their time and energy but also their expertise.
• Emergency Social Services has 5 staff members: Director ESS Program, Jeff Cornell, Coordinator of Volunteer Services, Maggie Grant, Program Administrator, Cheryl Venn, Program Assistant, Christine Ritson and Provincial ESS Coordinator, David Tomaz.
• Emergency Social Services (ESS) Toll-free contact number: 1-800-585-9559.

Please note: A current photo of Jackie can be electronically e-mailed to any media outlet upon request.