Winnipeg, MB – Over the next two days, the City of Winnipeg’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM), along with partners and stakeholder, will be training and testing emergency response plans.
During the first day, participants will learn emergency management best practices and leadership from industry experts.
On the second day, participants will participate in a full-day tabletop exercise where they will apply lessons learned in the first day, and test their previously developed emergency response plans.
The exercise will feature a simulated disaster involving critical rail infrastructure, which will also test inter-agency coordination.
Representatives from the following partner and stakeholder agencies are participating:
- CN Rail
- CPKC Rail
- Province of Manitoba
- Government of Canada
- Shared Health
- Manitoba Hydro
- BellMTS
- Canadian Red Cross
“When a disaster strikes, Winnipeggers rely on us to know what to do,” said Jason Shaw, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service Deputy Chief of Safety, Emergency Management & Public Information. “Emergency Management is all about teamwork, and it is important that our team practices together with our partners and stakeholders. We need to plan together, have established lines of communication, and be ready to work together at a moment’s notice.”
In Manitoba, the Emergency Measures Act outlines the duties and responsibilities of public sector agencies, including the City, during an emergency. Part of the Act mandates training through the requirement to participate in a tabletop exercise on an annual basis and an approved functional or full-scale exercise at least every four years.
To learn more about our Office of Emergency Management, see: winnipeg.ca/emergencypreparedness.