Emergency services, evacuations and alerts

In an emergency, call 9-1-1

Call 9-1-1 for police, fire or ambulance when life, safety or property is at immediate risk. If you dial 9-1-1 by mistake, stay on the line: every call has to be checked.

Don’t call 9-1-1 for non-emergencies. Use these instead:

Service	Non-emergency contact
Prince George Fire Rescue (24/7 non-emergency)	250-561-7664
Fire Rescue administration (business hours)	250-561-7667
Prince George RCMP (455 Victoria Street)	250-561-3300
RCMP online crime reporting	Online form (link in resources)
Health advice from a nurse	8-1-1
City services	311 or 250-561-7600

9-1-1 calls in this region are currently answered by E-Comm and passed to police, fire or ambulance dispatch. The Regional District plans to take over 9-1-1 call answering for north-central BC through a new service, Fraser-Fort George 9-1-1, now targeted for late 2027. Nothing changes for callers: you still dial 9-1-1.

Ambulance service is provided by BC Emergency Health Services. Prince George Fire Rescue runs four fire halls: Massey Drive (Hall 1), 5th Avenue (Hall 2), Konrath Road (Hall 3) and Kelly Road South (Hall 4).

Sign up for alerts

The City partners with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George Public Alerting System. It’s free and the single most useful thing you can do to stay safe during wildfire or flood season.

1. Go to the Public Alerting System sign-up page (linked above) or call 250-561-7600.
2. Enter your name, email and phone numbers. You can add family members.
3. Pick your zone(s). You can choose more than one, such as home and a parent’s house.
4. You’ll be notified when an evacuation alert or order is issued or lifted in your zone.

This is separate from BC Emergency Alerts, the loud provincial broadcast alerts that go to every phone in an area. Those are reserved for the most severe, life-threatening events.

Know your zone

Prince George has nine evacuation zones:

• Five colour zones that follow the garbage collection zones: Blue, Green, Orange, Red and Yellow
• Four lettered zones in areas without garbage pickup: A (Cranbrook Hill, Shane Lake, Kimball Road), B (Ferguson Lake, McGuire and Concord roads, Pidherny Trail), C (Shady Valley, Fraserview, Nichols) and D (BCR Industrial Site, Boundary Road, Sintich)

Look up your zone by address with the City’s evacuation map, and print the PDF map for your emergency kit.

Evacuation alerts and orders

Evacuation alert: get ready.

• Pack your emergency kit and important papers (ID, insurance, birth certificates).
• Pack several days of clothing, medications and prescriptions, pet supplies and carriers, and comfort items for kids.
• Gather irreplaceable photos and mementos.
• Check on neighbours who might need help.
• Follow the City’s channels and EmergencyInfoBC for updates.

Evacuation order: leave now.

• With a vehicle: go to the Emergency Reception Centre at Exhibition Park, unless the order names a different location.
• On foot: go to your nearest Community Evacuation Assembly Point. Eighteen schools are designated, including PGSS, Duchess Park, DP Todd, College Heights Secondary, Harwin, Quinson, Van Bien and Vanway. See the printable map.
• Mobility issues: crews will go door to door to pick people up.

Staying behind puts you and first responders at risk. Roads can close quickly and help may not be able to reach you.

Wildfire

Prince George is a city in a forest. The City has thinned high-risk stands near homes at Malaspina (2023) and Broddy Road (2024). Shane Lake in Forests for the World is next, and future work follows the 2025 Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan.

At home:

• Clean your roof, gutters and the space under your deck.
• Mow your lawn and prune trees within 2 m of the ground.
• Move firewood, propane tanks and other flammables away from the house.
• Choose fire-resistant plants.

Check BC Wildfire Service for active fires and provincial air quality advisories for smoke. See the dashboard for live conditions.

Flooding

The Fraser and Nechako rivers meet in Prince George. Winter ice jams and spring freshet (snowmelt) can both cause flooding, especially near the riverbanks.

• Keep storm drains near your home clear of snow, ice and debris.
• Clean gutters, and point downspouts away from the house.
• Check foundation drains and splash pads.
• Watch the BC River Forecast Centre for flood warnings.

Extreme heat and cold

• Cold: the City has listed the AWAC/St. Vincent de Paul overnight warming centre (1220 2nd Avenue, 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.) and both Prince George Public Library branches (during open hours) as warming spaces. For shelter beds, see community support.
• Heat: cooling centres are posted on the EmergencyInfoBC map. The City helps partner agencies extend hours and provides water and snacks.
• Frozen pipes? See water and sewer.

Build a kit

A basic kit should cover at least 72 hours: water, non-perishable food, flashlight, radio, batteries, first aid kit, medications, copies of documents, cash, phone chargers, and supplies for pets and babies. PreparedBC has free checklists, and the City’s BeReady page covers household planning.

Other hazards and safety

• Report a fire hydrant buried by snow: 311.
• Report property crime: the City shares an open-data property crime map.
• Fireworks need a permit from Fire Rescue.
• Security cameras: residents and businesses can register cameras through the City’s CCTV registration page.

Related: health care, community support, regional district.