What will you do in the event of an emergency? Do you have a plan or a go bag prepared in case evacuation is necessary? What would that look like? How will you know what to do or where to go? These questions were the main focus of a town hall aimed at emergency preparedness on Tuesday, May 6.
“Emergency preparedness starts with you,” Steven DeRousie, Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services chief, told the audience. “Know your hazards, make your plan, gather your supplies.”
Creating a plan and making a grab-and-go bag
Making an emergency plan can be as simple as following the B.C. Emergency Ready Plan or developing ones specific for your home or business. The key aspects of any emergency plan take into consideration the number of individuals or animals in a home or business, and what accommodations they may need in order to evacuate a property. Other details to contemplate include identifying relevant hazards, such as earthquakes, floods and avalanches.
Emergency plans should also contain important information, such as phone numbers for emergency contacts, health details such as allergies or diseases, home and car insurance information and identification documents, among others.
Home grab-and-go bags and vehicle emergency kits were also recommended, with staff noting that most individuals often have a majority of the items needed. Kits should include first aid kits, pet supplies, medications and more. Various resources are available to help guide folks in building grab-and-go bags.
While wildfires, avalanches and flooding are often top of mind for Revelstoke, DeRousie said that road accidents, train derailment and hazard spills were also key emergencies the city plans for and residents should be prepared for. With hazardous materials being transported year-round along the Trans Canada highway and via rail, DeRousie explained this threat doesn’t have seasonal windows like other potential disasters.
Making sure go-bags have masks for chemical hazards, that residents are ready for long highway closures, and that multiple exit strategies are known were key reminders for some of the risks Revelstoke could face.
Staying in-the-know and up-to-date
Francesca Williams, City of Revelstoke communications coordinator encouraged residents to sign up for Alertable, an emergency app that can also send alerts via email, text and phone calls.
“The main platform we’re going to be using during an emergency is Alertable,” Williams said, adding that the city would also share information on its social media channels, with news organizations in town, on the City of Revelstoke website via a banner at the top of the page and through newsletter blasts for those who sign up.
The range of emergencies municipalities are planning for and residents should be prepared for is always changing. The recent Lapu Lapu Day tragedy in Vancouver and increased cyber security attacks on municipal resources has communities across the province planning for emergencies that don’t always have a natural disaster element to them.
“There’s been talk around the local government circle on how to prepare your community so that doesn’t happen where we live and work,” Evan Parliament, Revelstoke’s chief administrative officer said.
While staff are constantly finding new ways to connect with residents, tourists and possible evacuees from other regions, the Revelstoke emergency preparedness panel stressed throughout the evening that any steps residents can take will save valuable resources and keep communities safe when the time comes.
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