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Bryan Larrabee Elected To Post Of ESSA President And Diana Krimmer Elected ESSA Vice-President

June 02, 2004

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C.- Vancouver Emergency Social Services Director Bryan Larrabee has been elected President and Director Diana Krimmer have been elected Vice-President of the Emergency Social Services Association of British Columbia (ESSA).

Mr. Larrabee has been involved with Emergency Social Services (ESS) in Vancouver for the past 12 years. Since 1997 he has held the position of Emergency Social Services Coordinator for the City of Vancouver on a full-time basis. He has been employed by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for 29 years, working on the East Side of Vancouver at Trout Lake, as a Youth Worker from 1975 to 1985, a Recreation Programmer at Britannia from 1985 to 1989 and a Community Recreation Coordinator at Thunderbird from 1989 to 1997, before taking the ESS position with the City.

Mr. Larrabee has just been elected as the Director of the Southwest Regional ESS Mobile Support Team. He has been involved in training and exercises with the team as well as a deployment to Terrace and Smithers last summer for the flood response.

Mr. Larrabee was involved with the design and implementation committee for the City Emergency Operation Centre at E-COMM, and sits on the Emergency Preparedness Committee in Vancouver. He is also the City staff representative on the Vancouver Emergency Community Telecommunications Organization (VECTOR) amateur radio Board of Directors which is dedicated to providing an emergency back-up communications plan for the City.

Ms Krimmer is the Emergency Planner for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC). Develops and implements emergency preparedness policies, plans, programs, training and procedures for all ICBC locations, ensuring compliance with relevant standards, acts and regulations. In addition, she is responsible for support and management of over 1,000 ICBC volunteer responders throughout the province. This program has been in existence at ICBC since 1994 and Ms. Krimmer was one of the original members to bring this program to the level it is today.

Ms. Krimmer represents the Corporation on various external committees, advisory organizations such as the Inter-Agency Emergency Preparedness Council (IEPC), emergency management events, programs and conferences. The Disaster Recovery Institute International has awarded her the professional designation of Associate Business Continuity Planner.

Ms. Krimmer is an active member of the emergency Preparedness for Industry and Commerce Council (EPICC). One of the areas she has been involved in is the development of an Awards Program recognizing those businesses and individuals that have demonstrated excellence in emergency preparedness.

Larry Pearce of North Vancouver will continue to support ESSA in the role of Past President. Other current ESSA Board Members include: Bill Andrews (Secretary) of Abbotsford, Laurie Pearce (Treasurer) and Natalia Skapski of North Vancouver, Colleen Vaughan and Jean-François Landry of Vancouver, Doreen Myers of Surrey, Wendy Bennett of Maple Ridge, Marie Salem of Kamloops, Sheila MacLean of Coquitlam and Gerry Blitstein of Aldergrove.

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:
Bryan Larrabee #105 - 3680 Rae Street
Vancouver, B.C. V5R 2P5
Bus. Tel.: 604 257-8620
Home: 604 451-0531
Email: bryan_larrabee[at]city.vancouver.bc.ca

Diana Krimmer #40 - 1550 Larkhall Crescent
North Vancouver, B.C. V7H 2Z2
Bus. Tel.: 604 661-6300
Home: 604 985-2672
Email: diana.krimmer[at]icbc.com

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: 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: Current photos of Bryan and Diana may be electronically e-mailed to any media outlet upon request.