In February 2006 a group of BC Regional District Emergency Program Managers met in Kamloops, BC to explore the possibility of forming an association to facilitate the sharing of information, ideas and resources.  At that meeting the decision was made to proceed with the formation of an association and open membership to evryone in British Columbia in the emergency management field.

The timing was good; seed money and non-profit society requirements were provided by the Canadian Emergency Preparedness Association - BC (CEPA) that was in the process of disbanding. This allowed BCAEM to inherit CEPA-BC's status as a society and a small amount of funds, which greatly helped the new volunteer board get the Association "off the ground".

The next 3 years saw a tremendous growth in membership (currently 165 members) and the new website contains resources for members to use and customize in their local communities.  The Association now has members from other provinces and New Zealand.  We continue to grow and support our local communities in emergency management as we assist in building local capacity.

For more information on BCAEM please visit the website. www.bcaem.ca