An emergency preparedness report presented to council by Wellington County’s emergency management coordinator Linda Dickson has identified areas where more work has to be done to prepare residents and municipalities for emergency situations.
Provincial legislation mandates that the emergency management program committee conduct an annual review of its programs. Dickson said. Reports to council offer an opportunity to keep council up to date with the program requirements and how they are met and have a third party review of the program at the local level to gain suggestions on the effectiveness of the program and ways to improve it.
Dickson noted her department has been out with promotional material on emergency preparedness.
“When we go out people are coming to ask questions,” Dickson said.
However, she contended, many people believe the municipality will come to the rescue in emergencies. The April storm showed the need for residents to protect themselves and their families. Dickson suggested people should consider purchasing generators in particular during April’s ice storm that knocked out power in parts of Wellington North for more than 72 hours.
“Residents should consider a back-up power supply for their own critical needs during a prolonged power outage,” Dickson said after the presentation. “There are many options for generators, but (I) recommend that residents should always consult an electrician on proper usage.”
Also during the ice storm, the Sportsplex in Mount Forest didn’t have power and the facility could not be used as a warming centre.
“The township has been looking at options for a generator at the Mount Forest Sportsplex including wiring needs and generator capacity,” she added. The coordinator also suggested improved ways to enhance communications with Hydro One and among municipalities in the county during a large scale power outage in rural areas.
“The municipality will make the decision to open community centres as warming centres based upon a number of factors including the potential duration of a power outage, the current and forecasted weather conditions and an assessment of the availability of a continuous power source at the public facilities to ensure the safety of the public once they are open for such purposes.” Dickson said in her report.
