Would you know what to do in the event of an emergency situation?
A mock emergency exercise allowed various local groups to work together on their potential response, including Rockwood reeve, council, administration, emergency response co-ordinator and volunteers. The Sept. 13 event also included representatives Stony Mountain Correctional Institute and the local fire departments.
Napier Emergency Consulting planned the mock exercise, which was led by Shelley Napier, who has more than 30 years of experience in dealing with natural and human-related disasters. Bill Napier and Paul Kentziger helped with the preparation and presentation.
The mock emergency involved a motor vehicle accident on Highway 7 near Road 75N between a five-ton truck and a semi-trailer.
“The semi, carrying eight one-tonne containers of chlorine gas, had three of the containers ruptured, causing the contents to become a gaseous and form a cloud, which quickly started to move towards the town of Stonewall,” explained Bill Stewart, Rockwood’s municipal emergency co-ordinator.
“A number of issues arising with a lethal gas such as chlorine include containment of the cloud and spill, communication with the residents already within the chlorine cloud area to shelter in place in their residence to limit any harm from the cloud, and evacuation of residents of the immediate area of the encroaching cloud of chlorine.”
Through this practice session, participants learned the importance of communication to get messages out quickly, accurately and to the majority of people impacted by the event, Stewart said.
“In the RM of Rockwood, we use the emergency alerting service ‘Connect,’ which will notify you of all the latest news, upcoming events and emergency alert messages from Canada’s National Emergency Alerting system (Alert Ready),” he said.
“To sign up for Connect, just go to the RM of Rockwood website (www.rockwood.ca) and fill in the electronic signup form provided. There is no charge for this service.”
At the same time, Stewart said it’s important to understand which outside agencies are available to assist as well as what assistance they can provide and how quickly. It’s also essential to know the necessary procedures required both politically and legally to obtain these services.
It’s useful to practise mock emergencies because it gives everyone involved a chance to test their planning and readiness for any sort of situation. That way, they can be better prepared to adapt if processes need to be strengthened, updated or improved.
“Luckily, it is not a frequent or annual occurrence in the RM of Rockwood — floods or wildfires — like in municipalities along the rivers or northern communities; therefore, we need to practise our planning, skills and test our equipment in this type of exercise,” Stewart said.
“I personally found out during this exercise that the experience and skills of the municipal council and reeve, the municipal administration and CAO, the firefighters and the agencies involved were excellent.”
For residents, Stewart suggests they ask themselves whether they’re prepared for emergency situations, such as a power outage in winter conditions.
“In the event of a multi-day or multi-hour power outage, do you have a backup heating source? Do you have a generator or fuel to power that heating source?” he asked.
“Do you have enough food in your residence to sustain you and your family for two or three days, if needed? Are you able to care for your livestock or pets in a situation such as this?”
Volunteers are always in demand, he added.
“Depending on the type of incident — snowstorm, ice storm, high winds or tornado — people who have volunteered may be impacted themselves and they cannot assist or volunteer their time but are required to look after their own families and property,” he said.
“Therefore, there can never be enough volunteers, which bring a variety of knowledge, skill sets and personal equipment, such as all-wheel-drive vehicles, quads and snowmobiles.”
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Bill Stewart at emo@rockwood.ca
“I would be happy to answer any questions you may have,” he said.
Tribune photos by Lana Meier
