Pitt Meadows is giving people a chance to experience what being in a major emergency is like by hosting an emergency training exercise next month.
On Saturday, Nov. 5, the Pitt Meadows Emergency Support Services (ESS) and the Katzie First Nation Emergency Operations will team up to put on a training program at the South Bonson Community Centre, explained the city’s manager of emergency programs, Barbara Morgan.
“This exercise is the first of its kind and will focus on identifying unique needs of vulnerable populations during an emergency,” said Morgan.
“It will help us create a specialized reception centre template that will be shared with other municipalities throughout B.C.”
Developing and practising these emergency plans beforehand is vital to community safety, especially amongst those with disabilities, according to Langley Pos-Abilities Society executive director and founder Zosia Ettenberg, who will be running a workshop focused on seniors and people with disabilities as part of the training exercise.
“You look at that recent landslide in Hope, and they weren’t prepared,” said Ettenberg. “They didn’t know what to do with all those people.”
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“People with disabilities have needs that are totally different from someone who doesn’t depend on batteries or ventilators to keep them alive.”
Mayor-elect Nicole MacDonald echoed the sentiments about the upcoming training exercise.
“It is so important that those who are dependent on medications, oxygen machines or CPAPs, or who have mobility issues, have the support they need in the event of an emergency,” MacDonald said.
As Ettenberg explained, for vulnerable individuals, evacuating isn’t always as easy as simply going to a hotel.
“In an emergency, these people need to go somewhere accessible to them, and you’d be amazed at how many hotels aren’t very accessible,” Ettenberg elaborated.
It’s this very issue that prompted Ettenberg and her organization to create an app, which she says has just finished beta testing and is designed to allow people with disabilities to easily find locations near them that are accessible to their individual needs.
Pitt Meadows residents can improve their preparedness by volunteering for the emergency training exercise as an evacuee. As a volunteer, they will be able to enjoy a free lunch, participate in emergency preparedness training for pets, and attend the Langley Pos-Abilities Society workshop.
The city is looking for 50 volunteers for the Nov. 5 exercise, which is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Interested individuals can register or find more information about the event by visiting https://www.pittmeadows.ca/emergencyexercise.
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