Our Commitment To Community Safety

The City of Vernon Fire Station #3 at Predator Ridge has a long history, and took a phased approach to building the year-round facility that serves our community today. In fact, Predator Ridge is one of the only masterplanned communities in the Okanagan with it’s own designated fire hall.

The City of Vernon Council first approved the Fire Station project at Predator Ridge in 2011. On January 13, 2015, Vernon Fire-Rescue Services (VFRS) officially opened the City of Vernon Fire Station, and Engine 3 was deployed.

In the fall of 2022, VFRS approached Predator Ridge with a call to put together an auxiliary group of firefighters. In July 2023, ten new auxiliary firefighters completed their basic training requirements and orientation, and became operational out of the City of Vernon Fire Station 3 on Predator Ridge Drive. 

Having these new resources enables a year-round on-property auxiliary response, augmenting the Fire Rescue Services provided by local career firefighters. Having this trained team in place will, over time, continue to have a positive impact on our residential and commercial insurance rates. 

Predator Ridge is fortunate to be located just a few short minutes down the road from the BC Wildfire Service’s Vernon Zone Base. BC Wildfire is responsible for taking a proactive approach to monitoring, assessing, and responding to wildfire threats across the region. Being in close proximity to such a crucial hub ensures swift coordination and collaboration in case of emergency, further bolstering our community’s preparedness and safety. In the event of any fire-related concerns, being in the immediate vicinity of the BC Wildfire Service provides an added layer of security and reassurance.

We believe in fostering a lifestyle that places the well-being, safety, and security of our residents, team, and guests at the heart of everything we do.

Our community is more than just a place to live or visit; it’s a safe place where every individual can lead a fulfilling life, free from added stress, or worry. We demonstrate our unwavering commitment to their health, safety, and security through a multi-pronged approach.

This includes the presence of a dedicated, full-time Health and Safety Manager, ensuring proactive and responsive measures across property. There are 5 AED paddles across the property, including a set for children, and over 50 of our staff are trained in occupational first aid Level 1, with several trained in Level 2; with more anticipated year over year. Predator Ridge maintains an Occupational Health & Safety Committee that meets once per month and has required training components. 

In addition, we maintain a private security team and on-site cameras around the resort and at the main entrance to provide around-the-clock protection. 

Our private security team and designated security vehicle are unique and distinctive features of our community, tailored to the specific needs and values of Predator Ridge, reinforcing the sense of safety and belonging that defines us. 

The camera system at Predator Ridge is planned to expand and further increase visibility across the property enhancing the safety of our residents.

In addition, the Predator Ridge team has a dedicated team of in-house communications professionals, which ensures urgent and timely information is shared with residents through email. Every year, hundreds of emails go out to residents encompassing everything from community events to maintenance notifications, and safety information. Predator Ridge works closely with the PRCS committee to ensure safety information is communicated in a timely and efficient manner.  

We are currently developing a mobile push notification system which will soon be released providing additional communication avenues.

With these measures in place, we strive to provide a reassuring and secure environment, for everyone’s peace of mind. 

The Predator Ridge property spans 1,368 acres, and includes dense forest lands, as well as residential and commercial properties, making it a Wildland Urban Interface zone. When we live, work and play in these interface zones, we become exposed to the danger of wildfire. The property continues to be purposefully built and firmly grounded in safety, which is evident in the intricate established infrastructure we’ve cultivated.

Our private water Utility oversees the management of our lands and is available to mitigate potential fuels on residential properties. This dedicated resource for the Predator Ridge property helps to maintain a safe environment by strategically addressing and reducing fire risks within our community.

A sophisticated property-wide irrigation system, which spans both our lands and golf courses, features 1,800 strategically positioned sprinkler heads. In addition to this, all homes at Predator Ridge are internally sprinkled for maximum fire suppression capacity in case of an emergency, and many of our homeowners have chosen to equip their homes with sprinklers on their roofs to assist in further fire supression efforts, should it be required. Having this comprehensive network of sprinklers can assist us in manipulating humidity levels, when required, effectively mitigating fire risks should conditions intensify.

Predator Ridge works closely alongside the local fire departments to enhance emergency preparedness at all levels. The size and scope of the property allows for our local career firefighters to utilize it as a training ground where they can practice connecting equipment with sprinkler heads; amplifying our collective knowledge of the property landscape and firefighting capacity. This ability to hook into our existing elaborate irrigation system, would allow 3,000 gallons per minute to be distributed where and when needed. In the event that any hot spot is detected on property, we are well-equipped with a variety of on-site water trucks, as well as our full irrigation system to support in fire suppression efforts. 

In addition, Predator Ridge is positioned between Kalamalka and Okanagan lakes, meaning our community benefits from abundant water resources, augmenting BC Wildfire’s capabilities to fight fires considerably, if required.

Central to our safety measures are the well-planned access roads, thoughtfully integrated to serve as swift emergency access points. Collaborating closely with the City of Vernon and the Vernon Fire Rescue Service, we’ve established precise emergency routes to ensure the rapid entry of essential services during critical times and provide emergency exits for our residents and guests.

As you may know, the property has various accesses and emergency egresses; you can view our current emergency access map by clicking here. Predator Ridge is committed to advancing these emergency access roads in the future and works with arbourists to ensure safe access to these roads. In the event of an emergency or evacuation, emergency accesses and egresses will be dictated by Vernon Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS). 

Embracing the forefront of safety technology, Predator Ridge has proudly become the first residential and resort community in Canada to implement SenseNet’s advanced wildfire detection system.

This system, part of a collaborative pilot project since August 2022, showcases a comprehensive array of sensors, gateways, and cameras, providing 360-degree surveillance and real-time data crucial for swift emergency response. Predator Ridge was one of the pilot’s test sites, and has had the opportunity to evaluate its effectiveness in detecting early signs of fire. “Early detection is key for moving people out of the way when fast-moving fires occur,” underscores Fire Chief David Lind. This system not only detects fires early through thermal imaging, but also contributes to a data-driven emergency response, enhancing the community’s defense against the threat of wildfires.

SenseNet CEO Hamed Noori explains, “Predator Ridge’s investment in our technology underscores their commitment to community safety and innovation. This collaboration between Predator Ridge, Vernon Fire Rescue Services, and SenseNet is a groundbreaking approach to wildfire safety. It’s not just about early detection; it’s about creating a comprehensive system for prevention, management, and potentially integrating solutions for extinguishing fires. Predator Ridge is famous for its dedication to safety and quality of life, and this initiative is further proof of its leadership in protecting their community against the threat of wildfires. Together, we’re setting a new benchmark for how communities and fire departments can work to enhance wildfire safety and management.”

You can read more about SenseNet here.

In line with our enduring commitment to community safety, Predator Ridge and parent company Wesbild will continue to reinvest in our community, actively work to mitigate risks related to wildfires, and take on ongoing land management efforts in an effort to mitigate risks for the future. This includes preventative measures towards future environmental threats, and incidents such as the 2023 Okanagan wildfires.

Wesbild’s support and funding gives Predator Ridge the opportunity to continually improve our conditions in our Wildland Urban Interface zone. As an example, the Predator Ridge Development team is investing in mitigation efforts during the property development phase. This includes FireSmarting our lands and all future communities prior to development, such as working with arbourists to remove any dead, diseased, or damaged landscape and pruning trees to heights that are more resilient to ground fires. In addition, we are taking preventative measures to ensure our emergency access routes are easily accessible for larger emergency vehicles.

The safety and wellbeing of our residents remains our top priority and at the forefront of everything we do here at Predator Ridge. With continued investment in new and existing communities, our property will remain one of the safest communities to live, work, and play, anywhere.

While our focus at Predator Ridge always has been, and will continue to be our community’s safety, safety at home starts with you. If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved in the safety and security of our community, we have included additional information below:

• Throughout the year, the Predator Ridge FireSmart Committee brings together volunteers for clean-up events to remove heavy fuel loads in our neighbourhoods. Click here to learn more.
• If you are interested in learning more about the Predator Ridge Community Safety committee, and how you can get involved in any of their initiatives, click here. 

We appreciate our extended community’s continued support and involvement in keeping Predator Ridge a safe and secure community to live, work, and play. 

If you have questions, please feel free to direct them to predatorridge@predatorridge.com.