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Pigeon Lake Regional Emergency Management Agency (REMA) is responsible for helping respond in the Pigeon Lake region if a disaster occurs. REMA is looking for volunteers who would be willing to help operate a reception centre if a disaster that occurs. The reception centre is a facility that can be used as a gathering place, check-in location, information site, or even provide temporary food and shelter for your fellow residents especially during a period of evacuation. Time commitment entails a training session, and one annual exercise. Please contact or visit us online if you would like additional information. Sincerely, Clinton BoydaDirector Emergency Management (DEM) twitter.com/pigeonlakeremawww.pigeonlakeemergencyagency.caEmaildirector@pigeonlakeemergencyagency.caDownload Read full letter

Congratulations to our member municipalities for initiating their own Wildfire Mitigation Strategies.

This summer has had some close calls with weather changes and nearby Albertan tornados/hail damage.Just a reminder to Get Prepared, Know the Risks, and know how to react to Tornados!

Mistake 01Buying products that require clean water to work.One of the most common effects of a disaster zone is the inability to get clean water”. Mistake 02Buying products that are heavy and difficult to carryYou have to assume that you may be injured and/or may not have the strength to carry heavy objects after a disaster occur. Mistake 03Buying products that are scented or have strong odorsWildlife is attracted to scent. From mosquitoes to large predators their sense of smell is one of their most effective sources for finding food. Mistake 04Buying products that depend on electrical powerOne of the first things that fail when a disaster of any kind strikes is electrical power, buying products that require electrical power may be just a waste of money. Mistake 05Buying products with short shelf lifeProducts with less than 3 years of shelf life may be expired and unusable when you really need them. Mistake 06Buying only first aid products and forgetting hygiene products that are needed on a daily basisPeople will use hygiene products regardless if they are injured or not, but most people buy first aid products and forget what they use on a daily basis. Mistake 07Buying based on how cheap the product is instead on how good it works.Everybody wants to save money but when a disaster call you need to have the best most reliable products… your life my depend on them Mistake 08Buying products that can’t perform for a least 72 hoursThe first 72 hours after a disaster are key, most emergency and survival support agencies and institutions can’t reach you. If you don’t have enough to survive those 72 hours a simple thing such as antibacterial protection could become a serious health issue. Mistake 09Taking some common things like wind, sunshine, protection from bugs and water for granted.When disaster strikes your “normal” environment disappears and too much wind, sunshine and/or bugs can make your survival very challenging. Mistake 10Not knowing that after food and shelter is secured the most important issue is your hygieneIn a disaster the possibility of getting sick by contagious diseases grow exponentially with time, hygiene products are just as essential as shelter and food, make sure you have enough. Mistake 11Counting minimum headsWhen people buy their products they should take into account that some people close to them (neighbors for example) may not have theirs or could have lost them in the disaster and then everyone would have to share… Mistake 12Buying products that were not designed for an emergencyPeople sometimes buy products based on price rather than effectiveness and at the time of a disaster they wonder why their products don’t perform to the task ahead. Mistake 13Consider your pets. They will have needs, shelter, food requirements as well. Also critical is have a plan, and share it with your family – they may not be able to immediately get a hold of you. Credit for the article by Juan J Agudelo PhD

Special thanks to the City of Edmonton we have 4 great videos explain what Incident Command System (ICS) is and how it is used to help support our emergency crews using a Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) [previously called EOC].

REMP has received the 2014 Alberta Municipal Excellence Award for Small Municipalities! All 10 Pigeon Lake Summer Villages worked collaboratively to develop a Regional Emergency Management Plan (REMP) for Pigeon Lake. The REMP is established in accordance with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency suggested guidelines. It is implemented and maintained based on a continuous emergency planning process as indicated below: The goal of the REMP is to prevent or minimize losses to people, property and the environment. The REMP is divided in two parts – Part One (organizational structure, process) is comprised of the prescriptive requirements as directed within the REMP. It provides structure and accountability to ensure that all emergency planning requirements are incorporated into the REMP. Part Two (response, business continuity and recovery) includes the emergency response, tactical and support information (forms, status reports) needed to implement the Pigeon Lake Summer Villages REMP.

The Emergency Social Services Network of Alberta (ESSNA) has requested that we provide their survey on the Alberta Human Services website for municipal ESS representative to complete. As Alberta Human Services is the lead for the development of the Provincial Emergency Social Services Framework we have been working with ESSNA to determine where ESS is within the province and where the gaps and successes are currently. ESSNA has developed a survey to engage ESS municipal leaders to provide their feedback and to eventually assist in the development of the future PESS framework.

How can we build more disaster resilient communities? Firesmart programs show how to create safe zones around homes in forest-fire prone areas, but we continue to plant highly volatile shrubs right up to the walls, creating a wick for the fire to use. Local programs are being developed, but FireSmart is a great model to review.