Emergency Planning

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, an emergency plan specifies procedures for handling sudden or unexpected situations. The objective is to be prepared to:

Prevent fatalities and injuries.
Reduce damage to buildings, stock, and equipment.
Protect the environment and the community.
Accelerate the resumption of normal operations.

Since emergencies will occur, preplanning is essential. At the onset of an emergency, a lot of decisions need to be made in a short period of time. Time and circumstance can mean the normal chain of command is not accessible. Added to that, stress of the incident can result in poor judgement or extensive losses.

The process of emergency planning can identify various deficiencies such as a lack of resources (equipment, trained personnel, supplies). In addition, an emergency plan promotes safety awareness and lets our residents know the townships commitment to the safety of the community.

The Township of McGarry looks at both the big picture and the small details to determine the risks and hazards potential. A plan is developed using available resources, trained personnel, and industry best practices keeping in mind the safety of people, the environment, property, and business continuity.

Examples of technological and natural hazards?

Examples of technological hazards are:

Fire.
Explosion.
Building collapse.
Major structural failure.
Spills.
Unintentional release of products.
Deliberate release of products (e.g., hazardous biological agents, or toxic chemicals).
Other terrorist activities.
Exposure to ionizing radiation.
Loss of electrical power.
Loss of water supply.
Loss of communications.

Areas where flammables, explosives, or chemicals are used or stored should be considered as the most likely place for a technological hazard emergency to occur.

The risk from natural hazards is not the same across Canada but the list would include:

Floods.
Earthquakes.
Tornadoes.
Severe wind storms.
Snow or ice storms.
Severe extremes in temperature (cold or hot).
Pandemic diseases like Covid 19 and influenza.

The possibility of one event triggering others must be considered. An explosion may start a fire and cause structural failure while an earthquake might initiate many of the technological events listed above.

Series of events or decisions that may be considered.

Having identified the hazards, the possible major impacts of each are itemized, such as:

Sequential events (for example, a fire after an explosion).
Evacuation.
Casualties.
Damage to plant infrastructure.
Loss of vital records/documents.
Damage to equipment.
Disruption of work.

Based on these events, the required actions are determined. For example:

Declare emergency.
Sound the alert.
Evacuate danger zone.
Close main shutoffs.
Call for external aid.
Initiate rescue operations.
Attend to casualties.
Fight fire.

The resources that may be required and their location are considered, such as:

Medical supplies.
Auxiliary communication equipment.
Power generators.
Respirators.
Chemical and radiation detection equipment.
Mobile equipment.
Emergency protective clothing.
Fire fighting equipment.
Ambulance.
Rescue equipment.
Trained personnel.