By Celia Dyer
Kathie MacDuff (right), Associate Director of the Sorrento Centre, presents a retirement gift to retiring Shuswap Emergency Program Coordinator Cathy Semchuk (left) during a recent celebration at the Centre. (Photo Credit: Celia Dyer)
Cathy Semchuk has held a key leadership position with the Shuswap Emergency Program at the CSRD for the past twenty years as Director of the Emergency Support Services (ESS) team. This group is responsible for all aspects of emergency management including preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. In other words, when disaster strikes, Cathy and her team have been the ones to lead us through the crisis.
Now, as she retires, she says it’s time to open new doors… without closing the one behind her entirely. “My heart is with Emergency Support Services. It’s time to step back but I will always be there if the community needs me”.
Semchuk is highly respected for her achievements. CSRD Regional Fire Chief Sean Coubrough notes that “through her dedication and vision, the ESS team in the Shuswap has become a leader in emergency response throughout the province”.
When Cathy started in 2007, ESS had eight volunteers. The current count stands at 60. Often, Cathy’s team is called upon to coordinate emergency responses for events beyond the boundaries of our own community. “Our team is so good and so committed; the province regards them as being one of the highest skilled programs in BC”. For example, this summer, local ESS volunteers were deployed to help at the Okanagan Indian Band Resource Centre during the Bradley Creek wildfire near Vernon.
Cathy has been a steadfast ally in our local community for many years. She worked alongside the Sorrento Centre during the 2023 wildfire supporting evacuees. Her ESS team is an affiliate of the Shuswap Community Resource Network, an umbrella group that brings together multiple agencies who serve seniors in our area. She has encouraged highly localized emergency response through the Neighbourhood Emergency Program. Better at Home, an agency that supports seniors in their own homes, connects with the ESS team by supporting vulnerable elders who may need specialized support during an emergency.
The South Shuswap’s respect and esteem for Cathy was very evident in a recent gathering at the Sorrento Centre honouring her retirement. Kathie MacDuff, Associate Director of the Centre, expressed gratitude for Cathy’s “steady hand during crises and her unwavering compassion for our community”.
Listening to Cathy describe the complexity of coordinating an emergency response on behalf of a community and hearing the devotion in her voice for her work; it is clear we were in very good hands with the ESS team. To have such competence paired with such compassion is a rare gift.
Cathy reminds us the need for ESS volunteers is ongoing. Dedicated members of the team receive in-depth training and provide support for anyone impacted by an emergency. ESS volunteers connect and register evacuees in-person at Reception Centres or virtually by phone, arrange emergency food, lodging, clothing and pet care when required and offer a calm and safe space during stressful times. The team meets regularly throughout the year and puts their expert training to work whenever an emergency arises.
If you want to join the team, email the Shuswap Emergency Program at sep@csrd.bc.ca
