The City of Vernon is encouraging its residents to be prepared for emergencies to give yourself and your loved ones piece of mind, safety and comfort.
Emergency Preparedness Week across Canada is May 7-13, and the national campaign promotes individual and collective action to prepare for emergencies.
This year, the theme is: Be Prepared. Know Your Risks.
“Emergency preparedness starts with understanding the potential risk associated with your location and using this information to customize your emergency plan and mitigation strategies,” said Sue Saunders, Vernon’s emergency program coordinator.
“Once a household understands its risks, it can customize its emergency plans and take action to reduce the potential impacts from known hazards.”
To kick off Emergency Preparedness Week, the city is holding an information session Monday, May 8, to help residents identify, mitigate and prepare for potential emergencies.
The event will be held at the Okanagan College Vernon campus, Room D310 Lecture Theater, from 6 – 8 p.m. Speakers will include:
• Fire Chief David Lind, Vernon Fire Rescue Services;
• Wes Brassard, FireSmart Coordinator, Vernon Fire Rescue Services;
• Greg Moy, Manager, Government Relations, Pacific, Insurance Bureau of Canada;
• Sue Saunders, Emergency Program Coordinator, Vernon Fire Rescue Services.
“If every household, business, and neighbourhood takes the time to learn about the hazards, takes steps to reduce the risk, develops an emergency plan, and prepares the resources they will likely need during an emergency, our community will be more resilient to disasters,” said Saunders.
The presentations will discuss a variety of risks and types of emergencies communities and residents may face, including flooding and wildfires.
“There are simple, practical things people can do to FireSmart their properties and reduce their risk from wildland urban interface fires [wildfires],” said Brassard. “Use Emergency Preparedness Week to kick start your FireSmart activities.”
To learn more about emergency preparedness plans and what other steps you can take, visit www.PreparedBC.ca or www.getprepared.gc.ca.
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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