Emergency Preparedness

Prevention and preparedness are key goals for Emergency Management teams across Ontario. This enables staff to have a plan in place well in advance of any type of disaster or general multi-level emergency.

Emergency Management Ontario has guidelines and processes in place to assist Municipalities with pre-planning and proper steps to follow when the unthinkable does happen. Pre-planning is key to ensuring response and recovery strategies to maximize safety and security of Ontario and its residents.

The County of Peterborough Emergency Plan ensures the co-ordination of municipal, private and volunteer services in order to assist in organizing effective response and support to emergency situation. Their plan also allows for coordinated emergency support to municipalities in the event of an emergency.

Check out this handy Emergency Services Map!

As we all practice social distancing and eliminating non-essential travel, we are living in a world where we need to prepare for more than 72 hours at time. Your 72-hour kits have evolved into a week+ plan for providing for your family and ensuring you have what you need to stay at home and stop the spread of COVID-19. Here are some considerations for personal preparedness during this emergency:

• Food and essential supplies: the option for curbside or delivery of essential goods will limit the risk to everyone by reducing exposure, but you need to consider that there may only be certain available time slots. Don’t overbuy – you could be taking something away from a family in need.
• Medication: don’t let your prescriptions run out - be prepared for at least the following week
• Pet food: pet supply stores have been deemed non-essential but stores in our community are offering curbside pickup.

Call your family, friends and neighbours. People in isolation still need essential supplies and they cannot leave to get them. Thank you for showing how strong and supportive the Selwyn community is!

And…don’t put away your portable 72-hour kits – stay prepared for those unexpected emergencies.  

Does your family have an emergency plan? Does your plan consider elderly relatives or neighbours that might need help during and emergency? What about pets?

You may be prepared for an emergency, but what about your family, friends and neighbours? Don't forget about planning for the needs of people with disabilities and special needs, seniors and pets. For more information about planning with senior's and pets, scroll down.

If your family does not have a plan, or if it has not been updated recently, make or review your Emergency Preparedness Action Plan by visiting the provincial website Emergency Preparedness Action Plan builder. You can also download this quick reference guide from the Province: EP Pocket Guide.

Alert Ready is designed to deliver critical and potentially life-saving alerts to Canadians through television and radio. The Alert Ready system is developed in partnership with federal, provincial and territorial emergency management officials, Environment and Climate Change Canada, The Weather Network and the broadcasting industry and wireless service providers, to ensure you receive alerts immediately and know when to take action to keep yourself and your family safe.

In addition to TV and Radio, Alert Ready will be sending life-threatening emergency alerts to cellphones and wireless devices that are compatible with Wireless Public Alerting (WPA). In order for emergency alerts to be received on a wireless device, three conditions must be met. The wireless device must be:

1. An LTE-device like a smartphone (LTE is commonly referred to as “4G LTE”)
2. Wireless public alerting (WPA)-compatible
3. Connected to an LTE cellular network at the time the emergency alert is issued.

Please visit Alert Ready for more information and to register.

If a disaster occurs in your community, you should be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for a minimum of 72 hours. Items that should be in your 72 hour kit include:

• Water - at least two litres of water per person per day. Include small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order
• Food that won't spoil, such as canned food, energy bars and dried foods (remember to replace the food and water once a year)
• Manual can-opener
• Flashlight and batteries
• Candles and matches or lighter (remember to place candles in sturdy containers and to put them out before going to sleep)
• Battery-powered or wind-up radio (and extra batteries)
• First aid kit
• Special items such as prescription medications, infant formula and pet supplies
• Equipment for people with disabilities
• Extra keys for your car and house
• Some cash in smaller bills
• Blankets

For more information, please visit: Ontario's "be prepared" website.

Be prepared, know when there are risks in your community. Follow the links below to sign up or learn more about Emergency Alerts from Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) or weather information from Environment Canada:

• Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management: Red Alerts
• Environment Canada email subscription

All residents must be able to sustain themselves for a minimum of 72 hours in the event of an emergency. Please reach out to your family, friends and neighbours to ensure that all of our residents are prepared.

If you were seriously injured, what if there was a way you could help emergency personnel contact your family? The majority of people now carry a cell phone, but would someone who picked it up be able to determine who your emergency contact was?

The ICE concept is simple - save your emergency contact person's name with the letters ICE preceding it. For more than one contact, add a number. For example: ICE-1 John Doe, ICE-2 Jane Doe.

If emergency services personnel were able to use your phone, they would search ICE in your contacts and know who to call.

Talk to your friends and family; together we can help to ensure that our emergency services personnel can quickly get in touch with your emergency contact.

Are you, a neighbour, or a loved one taking any medications that emergency responders should know about? Keeping a current list of medications in an empty pill container in your fridge door could help ensure you receive faster treatment.

If there is more than one person in your household taking medication, make sure that you identify each of them on the list.

Talk to your friends and family; you can help make a difference when emergency responders come to our aid. 

Please visit the links below to help you and your family build an emergency plan to ensure you are prepared in the event of an emergency:

• Ontario Seniors: How to Be Prepared for an Emergency
• Information for Your Emergency Plan

Similar to the family 72 hour emergency preparedness kit, pet owners need to plan for their pets in the event of an evacuation or emergency. Brochures on emergency preparedness for pets were distributed throughout the County during the Health Unit's annual rabies clinics as well as part of the annual dog licensing program.

For more information, visit Ontario's Emergency Management website.

• Government of Canada - Is your Family Prepared
• Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada - Your Emergency Preparedness Guide
• Emergency Management Ontario - Be Prepared