Emergency Management
Emergency Management
An Emergency Management Team (EMT) is responsible for coordinating, planning, and managing responses to emergencies, disasters, or crises to minimize harm to people, property, and the environment. This is accomplished by:
- Community Incident Management Plans
- Fire Smart Canada initiatives.
- Assisting in Search and Rescue / Wildland Fire Fighting coordination
- Helping communities to achieve their goals when navigating the Community Safety Plan program.
- Continuous learning through training and attending conferences.
- Act as a mentor to community emergency management employees
- Liase with government agencies
- Contact: Don Stenger (don.stenger@wolastoqey.ca)
Emergency Management Phases
Emergency management and preparedness for a community involves planning, organizing, coordinating, and implementing actions to effectively respond to and recover from disasters or emergencies. The process typically includes four main phases:
- Mitigation: Efforts to reduce the impact or likelihood of disasters, such as reinforcing infrastructure, implementing land-use planning, and creating public awareness campaigns about risks.
- Preparedness: Preparing for emergencies through training, creating emergency plans, establishing communication systems, and assembling supplies or emergency kits. Communities should ensure that residents are informed about potential risks and the steps to take during an emergency.
- Response: The immediate actions taken to protect lives, property, and the environment during an emergency. This includes activating emergency services, providing shelters, conducting evacuations, and ensuring resources like food, water, and medical care are available.
- Recovery: The long-term process of returning the community to normalcy after an emergency, including rebuilding infrastructure, supporting displaced individuals, and addressing mental health and economic impacts.
Effective community emergency management relies on collaboration between local authorities, first responders, healthcare facilities, residents, and other stakeholders to ensure readiness and resilience in the face of disasters