Emergency Planning and Preparedness
More in this Section...
CAER Siren & Shelter-In-Place Test - September 20 & 21, 2023
On Wednesday, September 20 and Thursday, September 21 the Township of Woolwich in partnership with the Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) group hosted the Siren and Shelter-in-Place testing. To help us successfully improve our system please complete the survey below.
2023 Siren and Shelter-In-Place Survey - Did you hear the siren?
This is a test of the system, please do not call 911.
- Wednesday, September 20, morning - Elmira Siren Test
- Thursday, September 21, morning - St. Jacobs Siren Test
- Thursday, September 21, afternoon - Breslau Siren Test
If you are registered, the AlertWR Notification System will automatically notify you if you are in the affected area. We recommend that you register for multiple forms of notification should one system fail for some reason. (email, text, cell, home phone). In case the message is generated for a specific area within Waterloo Region it is also important to note that you can sign up for notification for multiple locations within regional boundary's including places like your work address, your children's schools or your parents Long Term Care Facilities.
If you hear the siren outside of the tested times, please remain inside your home or office and Shelter-in-Place. Subscribe to AlertWR for updates and information during an emergency. If you are asked to shelter-in-place complete the following:
- Close all windows, outside doors and every door inside the building
- Seal cracks around doorways with tape and a rolled damp towel at the floor space
- Turn off air conditioners, furnaces, fireplaces and hot water heaters
- Stay tuned to local radio stations: AM 570, FM 96.7, FM 105.3 or Southwestern Ontario TV
- Keep your phone lines open
Do not collect children from school or other activities as they will be following the shelter-in-place protocol.
The Township of Woolwich is committed to providing emergency services to everyone in the community. Below is information you can use to prepare your family in the event of an emergency.
72-hour kit |
||||||||||
Emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere. By preparing for emergencies, individuals and communities can reduce the impact emergencies have on lives and property. To help your family prepare for an emergency, visit Get Prepared Canada website to learn about creating an emergency plan and survival kits. | ||||||||||
Be Prepared - Build an emergency plan |
||||||||||
Whether it's a fire or an emergency, it's important to have a safety plan in place to ensure your family can evacuate the house safely.
To help be prepared, visit Ontario Emergency Preparedness for more information. |
||||||||||
AlertWR - Community Alert Network (CAN) |
||||||||||
Local municipalities and the Waterloo Regional Police Service jointly launched an emergency notification system called Alert Waterloo Region (AlertWR). Alert Waterloo Region is a service that allows you to receive important public safety messages in the event of flooding, severe weather or other emergency situations where there is an immediate risk to life. Notifications can be delivered to home phones, mobile phones, text and email. A website, www.AlertWR.ca, was launched to promote the system and allow residents to sign up for notifications on multiple devices. The site also highlights local risks and emergency preparedness information for Waterloo Region. Subscribe to Receive Alerts Here! Are you already subscribed but need to update your information? Update your subscription. If you were already registered through the Townships existing Community Alert Network (CAN) then you will need to re-register under the new AlertWR to receive future notifications. As of April 30th 2019 if you have not yet re-registered under the new AlertWR notification system you will no longer receive any emergency notifications from the Township. The Township would like to thank the following sponsors of the AlertWR Notifications System:
|
||||||||||
Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) Group |
||||||||||
There are 2 main components of the CAER group:
|
||||||||||
Emergency Response Plan and Woolwich Fire |
||||||||||
The Township of Woolwich has established an Emergency Response Plan. The plan outlines actions and coordination of services, agencies and personnel to provide the earliest possible response to an emergency. The plan is tested and updated annually through a community exercise. Woolwich Fire DepartmentThe fire department is a volunteer organization that provides emergency services within Township boundaries and portions of neighbouring municipalities. The fire department is responsible for six Fire stations, Fire safety and prevention, and recruitment. |
||||||||||
Flood Planning and Preparedness |
||||||||||
The Township of Woolwich has currently developed a Flood Implementation Plan to help further prevent/mitigate the effects of flooding within the Township. The plan is updated and reviewed with Council on a regular basis. Keep these tips in mind to ensure your Home and Family are bettered prepared for a Flood Emergency:
|
||||||||||
Siren and Shelter-in-Place program |
||||||||||
The program is in Breslau, Elmira and St. Jacobs. The sirens can be used for severe weather, gas leaks, transportation accidents and chemical releases. Because of the nature and rapid movement of severe weather systems along with the fact that we have now moved to a region-wide alerting system, the Townships Siren Program will be changing with respect to the notifications received when Environment Canada issues a Tornado Warning. The Townships Sirens in Breslau, Elmira and St. Jacobs will not be used to notify residents of a Tornado Warning, if you wish to receive notification as to why the Sirens are going off (in this particular case of Tornado warnings) you will need to register and subscribe for an email and/or text notification through the AlertWR System. Once you have received the initial AlertWR notification you can then receive the most up to date information including when the Tornado Warning is Terminated through the following methods:
It is important to know that you may also receive an Alert Ready Message from Canada’s Emergency Alerting System that delivers life-saving alerts to Canadians through television radio and LTE-connected and compatible wireless devices.
|