MINDEMOYA—May 5 to May 11 marked Emergency Preparedness Week in Ontario and the Municipality of Central Manitoulin was prepared. On May 8, in the Mindemoya Community Hall, the municipality brought together all the organizations and departments that work to keep the community safe under one roof.
“Today we have the Municipality of Central Manitoulin here with their emergency management plan,” said Alison Sloss, organizer of the event. “We’ve got the Central Manitoulin Fire Department, Emergency Management Ontario is here, with all their resources. We have Public Health, North Shore Search and Rescue and the OPP.”“Basically, we wanted to plan something for residents of Manitoulin—what to do in case of an emergency—to coincide with Emergency Management Ontario’s Emergency Preparedness Week. We wanted to bring some of these resources to the municipality,” Ms. Sloss said.
Hayley Nicklasson, the emergency management coordinator for the municipality added, “Essentially, we’re trying to collaborate with everyone working for us as a municipality because one day we will have an emergency, and we want to be prepared.” Their intention was to show the public how prepared the municipality is and to provide peace of mind.
Fire Chief Phil Gosse was on hand to show the high-tech equipment the fire department uses, not only to fight fires, but to save lives. “Everybody on the fire department is trained in first aid and basic life support,” he said. He also provided pamphlets on how to be fire smart at home.
The Emergency Management Ontario booth garnered much attention and provided flyers and booklets about safety, several specifically geared toward seniors. Public Health Sudbury and Districts was on site to talk about the many ways they respond to emergency situations. They ensure evacuation centres are stocked with food and potable water and make sure the emergency site has enough room to comfortably contain the number of people who flock there to escape danger.
“Yes, we do more than food safety, inspecting restaurants and certified kitchens. Twenty to 30 percent of our work on Manitoulin Island is inspecting the septic systems of new homes. We want to make sure they’re put in according to the building code. At the end of the day, we want to make sure the water table is safe,” said Michael Choi, the newly appointed Island health inspector. As of the beginning of June, he will be working out of the Mindemoya district office.
North Shore Search and Rescue was happy to talk about the work they do over a wide range of territory. Theirs is entirely a volunteer organization located in Espanola but covering 12,000 sq km of the North. They work with many police jurisdictions, but most often the OPP will call when they need their help. They also hold workshops demonstrating safety procedures and trail tips for hikers.
Fundraising and grants are what keep this search and rescue group in operation, so if you see one of their road tolls set up on Highway 6 during deer hunting season, please be generous, they do important work.
Const. Jessica Gilbertson of the OPP sat at a booth alone. She suggested it’s good to heed the suggestions of the organizations involved, to be prepared if you have to leave your home in a hurry.
Each booth set up in the hall provided pamphlets and flyers dealing with every situation that could result in an emergency, and how to handle it. The municipality and its corresponding organizations have plans in place and are ready, but there was also another message in the hall that day—the public must be ready too. For more visit www.ontario.ca/page/emergency-management.
by Margery Frisch
