Did you know?
Emergency Preparedness Week (EP Week) is next week. In addition, Public Safety Canada has developed an online version of a home emergency plan at www.getprepared.gc.ca.
Quick fact of interest
Here is a quick fact you might find interesting: The Canadian National Railroad Bridge (constructed in 1908), across the Rainy River, Mile 85.0, between Fort Frances, Ont., and Rainier, Koochiching County, Minn., is ranked as the No. 1 highest-volume rail freight border crossing between Canada and the United States. It’s also worth noting the sheer scale of the operation: the volume of hazardous materials (dangerous goods) crossing this bridge daily is remarkably high!
Home emergency plan: Final four steps
Last week, I shared the first four steps for building a home emergency plan; here are the final four steps for your home emergency plan.
Step 5: Plan for pets
- The most important thing you can do to protect your pet is to take them with you if you need to evacuate; this requires advanced planning as pets are generally not permitted in the vast majority of public or emergency shelters.
- Plan to take your pets with you to a relative or a friend’s home, or identify a “pet-friendly” hotel/motel, boarding facility or emergency shelter in advance.
Step 6 – Plan for specific risks
- It makes sense to plan for the kind of emergencies that are most likely to occur in your region.
- What would you do in case of a flood, wildland fire, ice storm or long-term power outage?
- What would you do in case of a train derailment containing hazardous materials (dangerous goods)? Note: Write down instructions for the risks that are most likely to occur in your region.
Step 7 – Record emergency contact information
- Having all your important contact information in one place can be very helpful during an emergency.
- Remember, your family may not be together when an emergency occurs; plan how to meet or contact one another.
- Discuss what you would do in different situations.
- If you are trying to contact others, use non-voice channels like text messaging, email or social media, if possible, as these use less bandwidth than voice communications and may continue to work even when phone service has been disrupted.
- Local emergency numbers: List numbers for Paramedic Service, Police Service and Fire Service, etc.
- Family contacts: List names, phone numbers for home/work/cell, list emails and home addresses.
- Out-of-town contact: In the event of an emergency, each family member should call, text or email the same out-of-town contact person.
- Choose a contact person who lives far enough out of town that they will most likely not be affected by the same event.
- Friends & neighbours: Remember, once you’re safe, check on vulnerable family members, friends, neighbours or those in your community that may need additional assistance.
- Family doctors: List the patient’s name, doctor’s name and phone number.
- Non-emergency numbers: List the non-emergency numbers for Paramedic Service, Police Service, Fire Service, Health Clinic and any other ones you feel are needed.
- Insurance agent/company: List name and phone number.
Step 8 – Life safety devices and complete safe home instructions
- Make sure you have properly installed and maintained working smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside/near sleeping areas. Note: For added protection, install working smoke alarms inside all bedrooms.
- If your home features a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage, carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are a legal requirement. In Ontario, as of January 1, 2026, you must install a working CO alarm on every story of your home and adjacent to all sleeping areas. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation. Note: Fuel-burning sources include furnaces, water heaters, gas/wood fireplaces, portable heaters, generators, stoves, and vehicles.
- Ensure you have a fire extinguisher.
- If you live in an apartment or are staying in a hotel/motel, know where the fire alarm pull stations are located.
- Know how to turn off main utilities such as water, electricity, and gas, etc.
- Make copies of important documents—insurance, main identification documents like driver’s license, passports, birth and marriage certificates, and wills, etc.
Remember, taking the time to learn and practice injury prevention costs you nothing. Failing to do so could lead to the unthinkable … the loss of your life and the lives of those you hold dear.
Safety—it starts with you.
