Emergency Preparedness Week had City of Lloydminster and county officials urging citizens to be ready for any emergency.
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The week ran from May 4 to May 10 across Canada. This year’s theme is Be Prepared, Know Your Risks.
Andrew DeGruchy, manager of emergency management for the City of Lloydminster, says it’s about sparking household conversations.
“If community members can understand the risks they face and what community hazards could exist, it can really start to create household-level conversations around what family planning looks like in case an emergency did happen that was community-wide,” said DeGruchy.
City emergency staff visited schools in Lloydminster and nearby areas like Marwayne and Paradise Valley.
“We’re conducting school presentations targeting Grade 5 classes and getting students talking about what risks they think could happen in the areas they live in,” said DeGruchy.
The City was also looking to use last week’s Alberta Emergency Alert test as a drill. Increased wildfire activity, however, prevented the province from conducting the test.
“We use this internally as an opportunity to test our incident management team and look at what our activation and response procedures look like,” said DeGruchy.
“We also try to push that to community members as well.”
DeGruchy said they focus on general preparedness, not just one hazard.
“We really approach emergency management from an all-hazards approach and things like understanding what an evacuation looks like. That holds true for a myriad of hazards,” he said, noting families should have an evacuation kit ready.
“Typically, the basics are some clothing, a little bit of water, maybe a couple granola bars for some snacks,” said DeGruchy. “Is there medication you need duplications of in that kit? Are there prescription eyewear, eyeglasses? Do you have pets and maybe have some pet needs that need to go into that kit?”
Residents can visit the City’s website or the Alberta and Saskatchewan provincial sites for more information.
County of Vermilion River urges preparedness
In the County of Vermilion River, Fire Chief Kirk Hughes says preparation starts at home.
“Emergency management starts at home,” said Hughes. “In today’s world, we have to be prepared for any eventuality, from evacuations to extreme storms.”
The County has been sharing information on social media and supporting the emergency alert drills.
“Protective pervices works hard to promote emergency preparedness throughout the year,” said Hughes.
Hughes wants residents to shake off the idea that emergencies only happen elsewhere.
“Over the last few years we’ve seen just how local some of these large emergencies can be,” said Hughes.
He recommends families make a plan.
“Where would we go if we had to leave our home? Where do we meet if we are separated?” said Hughes. “A home escape plan for fires and a family disaster plan are things that should be discussed annually.”
Recent incidents like an oil tank fire in Minburn County and local power outages show why readiness matters.
“Thankfully, we have awesome responders. From utilities to firefighters, police and EMS, our region is well protected,” said Hughes.
Hughes recommends the Government of Canada website and the County’s own emergency preparedness portal for tools and checklists.
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