Emergency Operations & Crisis Coordination
2024 Jasper Wildfire Response
Supported one of the largest emergency evacuations in Jasper National Park's history, contributing to the safe evacuation of approximately 25,000 visitors in less than 19 hours during the 2024 wildfire.
SITUATION
While managing frontline operations during a severe weather event with active lightning and falling trees, a catastrophic wildfire triggered an immediate emergency response directive. The crisis dispatch and supervisory teams issued simultaneous, high-urgency evacuation orders for multiple front-country campgrounds directly in the path of the fire
Task
With an immediate shortage of personnel on-site as some team members self-evacuated, I chose to remain on the ground to spearhead the emergency response. My objective was to rapidly coordinate remaining personnel, gather essential communication gear, and safely evacuate thousands of visitors across multiple locations under extreme time pressure with zero prior crisis training.
Action
After quickly coordinating with colleagues and retrieving necessary equipment, I joined a small response team to prioritize the most urgent evacuation site located adjacent to the main fire zone.
Upon arrival, our team of six was responsible for a campground of over 230 sites. With no prior evacuation training specific to this scale of emergency, we adapted in real time—organizing visitor flow, communicating clearly under pressure, and maintaining calm in an extremely high-stress environment.
Despite the severity of the situation, we executed the evacuation efficiently and safely. I also supported team stability by helping maintain structure and morale while others were leaving the operation due to the intensity of the event.
Once the first site was cleared in approximately one hour, we immediately transitioned to a second large campground. Working with a small team of eight, we coordinated the evacuation of over 780 sites in roughly three hours.
Results
25,000 visitors evacuated
under 19 hours
one evacuation route
zero fatalities among visitors
record evacuation
successful coordination under extreme pressure