Emergency Preparedness
You may have some of these basic emergency kit items already such as a flashlight, battery-operated radio, food, water and blankets. The key is to ensure they are organized, easy to find, and easy to carry (in a suitcase with wheels or in a backpack) in case you need to evacuate your home. Whatever you do, do not wait for a disaster to happen.
Things to Remember
- Cash - Include smaller bills such as $10 bills (travelers’ cheques are also useful) and change for pay phones.
- Easy to Carry - Think of ways that you can pack your emergency kit so that you and those on your emergency plan can easily take the items with you, if necessary.
- Emergency Plan - Include a copy of it and ensure it.
- Extra Keys - For your car and house.
- First Aid Kit - Include bandages, bandage wraps, and disinfectant.
- Food - That will not spoil, such as canned food, energy bars, and dried foods; remember to replace the food and water once a year.
- Manual Can Opener - Flashlight and batteries, battery-powered or wind-up radio (and extra batteries).
- Special Needs Items - Prescription medications, infant formula, or equipment for people with disabilities.
- Water - Two litres of water per person per day - include small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order.
Farm Emergency Plan
The Farm Emergency Plan template lets farmers, producers and landowners create their own emergency plan to keep their family members, employees, contractors or visitors safe in the case of an emergency or disaster situation. The template contains many references to livestock but can be adapted for any farming operation to mitigate the hazards to buildings, people or commodities. County Emergency Management staff are available to guide or assist in completing the plan if needed. This plan is personal to each farm operation, so producers can make it fit their own needs.
Download the free County of Stettler Farm Emergency Plan.
Preparing Your Family
Is your family prepared? If an emergency happens in your community, it may take emergency workers some time to reach you as they respond first to those in greatest need.
For information on getting prepared, evacuation or shelter in place, please visit the Government of Alberta Emergency Management Agency website.
The Government of Alberta has also put together the Get Prepared! video series. These videos are short and offer tips to prepare for emergencies.
Make a Plan
A family emergency plan will help you and your family know what to do in case of an emergency. Every Canadian household needs an emergency plan. It will take you about 20 minutes to complete your personalized plan online.
Things to Think About
- Before starting your home emergency plan, you will need to think about:
- Contact person(s) close-by and out-of-town.
- Designated person to pick up children should you be unavailable.
- Health information.
- Location of your fire extinguisher, water valve, electrical box, gas valve, and floor drain.
- Meeting places to reunite with family or roommates.
- Place for your pet to stay.
- Risks in your region.
- Safe exits from home and neighborhood.
- Shelter-in-place
- You may be instructed to "shelter-in-place" if chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants are released into the environment. This means you must remain inside your home or office and protect yourself there.
Take Steps to Maximize Protection
The following steps will help maximize your protection:
- Close and lock all windows and exterior doors.
- Close the fireplace damper.
- Continue to monitor your radio or television until you are told all is safe or are advised to evacuate.
- Get your emergency kit and make sure the radio is working.
- Go to an interior room that is above ground level (if possible, one without windows).
- In the case of a chemical threat, an above-ground location is preferable because some chemicals are heavier than air and may seep into basements even if the windows are closed.
- Turn off all fans, heating, and air-conditioning systems to avoid drawing in air from the outside.
- Using duct or other wide tape, seal all cracks around the door and any vents into the room.
Evacuation Orders - What to Do
Authorities will not ask you to leave your home unless they have reason to believe you are in danger. If you are ordered to evacuate, take the following items with you:
- Cellular phone.
- Essential medications and copies of prescriptions.
- Your emergency kit.
- Your emergency plan.
- Your pets.
- Pets are not allowed in some emergency shelters, so plan in advance for a pet-friendly location.
The County of Stettler is incorporating EML Canada in how we manage logistics activities in preparation for and response during disasters and emergency activations.
County businesses can activate a LOCAL business listing with NO ANNUAL FEES on the platform to help the County of Stettler maintain an updated version of our Emergency Logistics Vendor List. Membership is not mandatory and is not required to remain a vendor in the County's Emergency Plan, but it is strongly encouraged as a way of consolidating as many resources as possible into one virtual platform.
LEARN MORE about EMLCanada - a direct connect to emergency management organizations.
Click Here to Activate Your Local Business Listing.
Alberta Emergency Alerts
Alberta Emergency Alerts are issued by the communities where a disaster or emergency is occurring. By signing up to receive this information directly, you will be better informed about potential risks to your health, safety or community.