Residents had a chance to chat with emergency responders and check out their equipment at the second annual Altona/Rhineland Emergency Preparedness Expo on May 9.
Joining members of Altona’s public works department, police service, and Altona/Rhineland Emergency Services this time around was the Plum Coulee Fire Department, Rhineland public works, the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART), Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization, the Red Cross and RCMP.
Each organization set up at the Sunflower Gardens arena, including their response vehicles, ready to share the role they play in emergency response.
The recovery vehicles used by the HEART team was a big draw at the event. Visitors were able to climb aboard the rescue boat and check out the sonar equipment used during recovery missions. The remote operated vehicles, for example, allows their teams to search beyond 300 meters.
Every year, water claims countless victims, many of which are never recovered, leaving behind unanswered questions and heartache. HEART specializes in finding and recovering these drowning victims, using state-of-the-art equipment and a highly-trained crew.
As a non-profit, they rely heavily on sponsorship and donations to provide the necessary training and equipment required to do the job to the best of their abilities and be able to offer their services for free.
Co-founder and dive team member Paul Maendel says, “It’s a mission to the living to show love. We want to show families that the person they lost isn’t just a number. They are special and as much as we can, these families become part of our family. We can’t promise miracles, but we can bring them some closure.”
Chief Greg Zimmerman from the Altona Fire Department was on hand to give tours of their trucks and hand out free plastic fire helmets, just for fun.
“People pay a lot of money for this equipment, so it’s good to let them see it. We do have multiple equipment, and in the event of a disaster such as a tornado, we are capable. For example, we have the heavy-duty struts that are capable of holding up parts of collapsed houses, to enable us to do a search.”
Visitors were also able to tour the mobile command centre used by the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization during a disaster.
“We had great representation for this event. It takes some effort to get everything together, but this was a great venue for it,” said Perry Batchelor, Altona/Rhineland municipal emergency coordinator. “The point, of course, was to show the community what kind of resources come together in the event of a disaster.”
The event enjoyed a good turnout. Visitors were able to meet and chat with responders and gain information from a variety of displays. They also learned the importance of having a 72-hour emergency kit at the ready in their homes.
It’s a message that Batchelor emphasizes often.
“Those first 72 hours are on you, so you have to be prepared to manage your household, your family for 72 hours. If there’s no power, food or water, how are you going to survive until emergency responders arrive?”
Emergency supplies include canned goods, a manual can opener, candles, and a battery-operated radio, to name a few.
Residents of Altona and the Municipality of Rhineland were also able to register for each community’s Connect service. The free emergency notification system sends alerts to your email, cell phone, or landline.
“People who aren’t signed up, please do,” urged Batchelor “It’s fairly new, but we need to get those numbers up, in Altona and Rhineland. It’s the best way for us to communicate with you.”
