A simulated disaster scheduled to take place on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 will test the ability of regional authorities to respond to an area-wide emergency situation in Kings County.
The towns of Souris and Montague will partner with the Kings Health Region and several other agencies, including the RCMP, local fire departments and ambulance services, the Emergency Measures Organization, and Emergency Health Services for the exercise. The purpose of the simulated disaster is to ensure that all local authorities and agencies are well prepared should a real disaster occur in the Kings region.
Mayor of Montague Richard Collins, says the exercise will provide valuable information that can be used to ensure that a disaster plan can be executed efficiently and effectively in the event of a real disaster.
“The municipalities, Kings Health Region and many external partners have a significant role to play in the event of disaster and must be prepared. They must also establish mutual understanding and clarity on roles and responsibilities of all external partners to ensure a coordinated response,” he said.
Joseph O’Keefe, Mayor of Souris, agreed. “Just about the only way to thoroughly test our system is to simulate a disaster and see how things unfold. This exercise will give all of us an opportunity not only to evaluate our own municipal plans, but to see how they work in relation to other municipalities and agencies.”
The scenario for the simulated disaster, which will be a “hurricane” that hits the Kings County area, will include roof and water damage to Colville and Riverview Manors, “casualties” and power outages affecting various work sites of the health region. Staff volunteers of the health region will act as casualties for the exercise. Part of the exercise will be determining which “casualties” require medical attention and must be transported to Souris Hospital or Kings County Memorial Hospital. On the day of the simulated disaster, there may be a number of emergency response vehicles throughout the area.
CEO Betty Fraser noted that, in addition to responding to the simulated disaster, municipalities, agencies, and the health region will be monitoring their own performance throughout the day. “The exercise will be evaluated to determine where we may need to improve our response. These improvements on procedures will be followed up by regional staff and town officials.”
In the event of a real emergency during the exercise, resources will be diverted immediately to respond.