Tanya Spooner is a dedicated employee of the City of Prince George with nearly 20 years of experience as the manager of emergency programs.
This was recognized when she received a Public Safety Canada award.
“It was incredibly flattering to have colleagues and co-workers nominate me,” said Spooner. “When I received the news that I was the recipient, I was absolutely elated. It's a job we don’t necessarily do for recognition, but having people acknowledge what’s been a lifetime of effort is truly rewarding.”
Spooner has managed and co-ordinated emergency response and evacuations during the 2007 ice jams, the 2011 Victoria Towers apartment fire and the 2017 and 2018 wildfire evacuations.
With her co-ordination skills, she helped facilitate the accommodation of more than 13,000 evacuees.
Spooner’s long and eventful career has been filled with many highlights. However, she noted that developing relationships with individuals in difficult circumstances stands out as a key aspect of her work.
“The 2017-2018 wildfire is probably the largest event we’ve dealt with,” said Spooner. “But the ones that hit close to home and trigger memories are those of individuals during these events, or smaller house fires, or other situations where you form relationships and learn about their families and situations. We try to support them on a one-on-one basis. There are a couple of situations from Wells and Barkerville last year that really resonated with me. My family has a long history with those communities, and running into people who knew my parents from way back was a very full-circle moment for me.”
Spooner told The Citizen that years of experience and support from others have helped her cope with the stress of her job.
“When we all start, I think we rely on energy and adrenaline,” said Spooner. “But there comes a point in your career when you begin to rely less on adrenaline and more on your training and skills. That’s a huge turning point. When you hit that, you learn to really focus on the people around you, trust yourself, and trust your decisions. We know that we have resources available in the province. If we run out of people or need help, we have colleagues in the field we can reach out to, either for remote support or to have them come and assist. Understanding that you’re never in it alone is a huge part of the job.”
In addition to her role in co-ordinating response during emergencies, Spooner has served in leadership positions that have helped Prince George and surrounding areas prepare for crises, both large and small.
She has served on the board of directors for the British Columbia Association of Emergency Managers and as vice-president of the Network of Emergency Support Services Teams.
Spooner has also spearheaded initiatives to enhance the city’s resilience, participating in pilot programs from the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. Her work on the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies has led to advancements in supporting evacuees, including the recent announcement of a new shelter allowance.
Additionally, Spooner played a key role in securing the Structural Protection Unit for Prince George firefighters.
She also told The Citizen that while the city has made significant progress in emergency preparedness, personal responsibility remains a critical factor in mitigating the effects of disasters.
“We’ve made considerable improvements over the past several years,” said Spooner. “But I think we’ll always be in a situation where there’s more work to be done in terms of funding and capacity. It’s a matter of identifying the available resources and focusing on those. A major part of this role is communicating what individuals can do to prepare themselves and their properties. If everyone took care of the basics, I wouldn’t have to do so much for the entire city. FireSmart is one of those concepts that can sometimes seem like a buzzword, but if every community focused on making individual homes FireSmart, it would make a tremendous impact.”
Spooner offered several essential tips for being FireSmart, including having a go-bag, a plan for evacuation, fire insurance, and reducing the amount of flammable items in your home and yard. These steps are crucial in preventing damage to your home and ensuring the safety of your family.
Spooner also expressed her gratitude to her team for their support throughout her eventful career.
“We have an amazing team in Prince George,” said Spooner. “We work year-round to prepare for wildfire season. I think it’s really important that an award like this draws attention not only to the work I do but to the work of the entire team, because there’s no way I would ever be able to receive something like this without the support of the team behind me.”
