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Public Safety Minister launches Emergency Preparedness Week 2009
Core news facts:
- Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan launched Emergency Preparedness Week today at a training demonstration at Toronto Fire Service's Special Operations Training Centre.
- The Minister met with first responders who showcased their capacity to deal with emergencies by providing a hazardous materials (HazMat) emergency simulation. Earlier in the week, Minister Van Loan announced funding of up to $2.5 million over five years to the Canadian arm of the International Association of Fire Fighters for their HazMat training program.
- Emergency Preparedness Week runs from May 3 - 9, 2009. It is an annual event to promote the importance of emergency preparedness across Canada.
- Emergency Preparedness Week focuses on what Canadians can do to prepare for emergencies like flooding or a severe storm. Canadians are encouraged to take three simple steps:
- This year, new materials are available to help Canadians better prepare:
- A short animated video, "Preparing a Family Emergency Kit in Plain English."
View it here.
Video transcript
- A checklist you can use to assemble or buy emergency kit items.
- New guide on preparing for Severe Storms (part of a series that includes Floods, Power Outages, Earthquakes, and emergency preparedness for livestock).
- Scouts Canada's new Emergency Preparedness (EP) Program with two new badges, one for Cubs and one for Scouts, and supporting material developed by federal and provincial emergency preparedness experts.
- An updated Emergency Preparedness Guide. More than 2.5M of these guides have been distributed since the "72 hours" emergency preparedness campaign was launched in 2006.
- Learn more by visiting www.GetPrepared.ca or by calling 1 800 O-Canada.
Quotes:
The Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety Canada: "Preparing for an emergency is a responsibility we all share. Having a plan and an emergency kit to cope with the first 72 hours of an emergency can make a world of difference in keeping a family safe and comfortable. And it helps first responders to focus their resources on those in urgent need.
Download audio file
Scouts Canada Executive Commissioner and CEO, Rob Stewart: "Scouts have always known how important it is to "Be Prepared" - that's our motto. That's why Scouts Canada is proud to have launched a new Emergency Preparedness Program across the country. The program features two new badges, one for Cubs and one for Scouts, and supporting material developed by federal and provincial emergency preparedness experts. Youth and Scout leaders across Canada now have access to this worthwhile program to help them learn not only the importance of emergency preparedness, but practical, hands-on ways to prepare themselves and their families for any emergency. It's another excellent opportunity to educate and prepare young people for life's challenges, especially the ones we can't predict."
Download audio file
Canadian Red Cross, Secretary General Conrad Sauvé: "When disasters strike, the Canadian Red Cross is there. We work with governments and other humanitarian organizations to provide for people's basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, first aid, and family reunification. Canadians can help reduce the impact of disasters and aid relief efforts by being prepared to sustain themselves at home for 72 hours. Please, help us help everyone by being prepared."
Download audio file
Download Photos:
Emergency Kit
Scouts Badge
Cubs badge
Background:
Emergency Preparedness Week is a national campaign coordinated by Public Safety Canada, together with all provinces and territories. First responders (police officers, firefighters, paramedics, etc), industry, and non-governmental organizations all plan activities for EP Week. It is a collaborative event undertaken by many, with hundreds of activities occurring in communities across Canada.
The federal, provincial and territorial governments adopted the concept of EP Week in 1995 to promote activities that increase Canadians' capacity to cope with the effects of major emergencies. The first EP Week took place in 1996.
The public is encouraged to attend local events and activities in their community. Families can assemble emergency kits for the home and car, or create an emergency plan. An emergency plan template and list of kit contents is available on this site and in the Emergency Preparedness Guide distributed by Public Safety Canada.
Emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility. Everyone should be ready to cope on their own for at least the first 72 hours of an emergency. This will enable emergency workers to help those in immediate danger first.
Despite a number of weather-related emergencies in recent years, most Canadians are still not well-prepared. For example, given the gap that exists between those who believe they have a kit (43 percent) and those whose kits contain all the recommended basic items (estimated at 8 percent), further effort is required to raise awareness of appropriate kit contents.
See also:
Contact:
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657