Emergency Planning and Preparedness

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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 the 72 hour emergency preparedness website or Get Prepared Canada to learn about creating an emergency plan and survival kits.

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.

Pull everyone together in your household and make your plan together
Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes
Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors. For easy planning, use the National Fire Protection Association escape planning grid

For more information, view the Nation Fire Protection Association safety tip sheet.

AlertWR - Community Alert Network (CAN)

Local municipalities and the Waterloo Regional Police Service jointly launched a new 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 new 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 30^th 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:

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Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) Group

There are 2 main components of the CAER group:

Community Awareness - communication provided to residents outlining the nature of our local businesses and what steps residents should take in the event of an emergency; and
Emergency Response - recognize risks associated with industrial operations and develop emergency plans around them.

Below are the members and partners that participate in the CAER Group:

Emergency Response Plan

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.

Fire

The fire department is a volunteer organization that provides emergency services within Township boundaries and portions of neighbouring municipalities.

The fire department is responsible for, 6 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.

5 Tips on how to prepare for a Flood

Keep these tips in mind to ensure your Home and Family are bettered prepared for a Flood Emergency:

1. Prepare your Home

Contact your Insurance company to inquire about overland flooding
Install flood resistant materials in areas of the house that are flood prone
Make sure all valuables are not stored in your basement or potential flooded areas within your house

2. Prepare your Family

Prepare a Family Evacuation "Go" Bag with essentials your family may need during an evacuation
Prepare a Plan for your family should you need to evacuate your home during a flood
If you have pets consider a "Go" Bag and Plan for you pets as well during an emergency

3. What to do Prior to a Flood

Stay informed by signing up for alerts:
- Subscribe to receive Flood Messages by twitter or email from GRCA
- Subscribe to receive emergency alerts from the Woolwich Township Community Alert Network
Once flood warnings are received
- monitor radio, TV and social media for updates
- monitor River Data through the GRCA website

4. What Do to During a Flood

Monitor the most update to date flood messaging from GRCA through
Additional public safety information may be available through
Report any high-water levels in rivers and streets to your local municipality
Don't drink or wash in flood waters and obey instructions from local authorities
Stay away from rivers and creeks that are flooded take extra precautions with children and pets
Keep in mind electrical safety and contact your local hydro company to have the power shut off
Never step into a room where water may be in contact with electrical outlets or power bars

5. What to Do After a Flood

Ensure proper cleanup of your home and property to protect against long-term mold and seepage
Don't walk or drive through flooded streets

The municipalities within Waterloo Region have an Emergency Preparedness website with addditonal emergency preparedness tips!

Programs

The Region of Waterloo runs several safety programs to promote fire safety in Waterloo Region. Programs include, the Waterloo Region Safety Village and the Waterloo Region Arson Prevention Program for Children (WRAPP-C).

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.

Siren testing

The community sirens are tested on the following days:

Breslau - Mondays at 7 p.m.
Elmira - Saturdays at 12 p.m. (noon)
St. Jacobs - Mondays at 7 p.m.

Shelter-in-place

If you hear the siren outside of the tested times, please remain inside your home or office. Community Alert Network (CAN) provides a message with information and instructions to residents about the emergency.Through the CAN system you may be asked to 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.