The natural disasters and emergency situations that have happened in 2017 has lead Lloydminster to consider a new emergency management plan.
The Regional Emergency Management Mutual Aid is in the beginning stages of developing a management plan in a state of emergency that will involve various regions in Northeast Alberta and Northwest Saskatchewan.
Discussions about the agreement began last year after the British Columbia wildfires to ensure that resources can be spread and used effectively in different regions. Mayor Gerald Aalbers says this agreement is critical in ensuring that people are looked after in a state of emergency.
“To have a disaster where most of our city if not our entire city had to be evacuated is a whole different realm. I think we want to make sure that we have the resources, capability to work with as many people to lessen that.”
The key factors in the agreement include establishing costs for deployed resources, sharing resources with other jurisdictions and clarifying administration roles and responsibilities. Aalbers says that they want to be prepared as possible because there will be a strain on the city’s resources.
“The firefighters, the RCMP, the ambulance, the health care people their home were burning while they were attending to people that had other emergencies. It’s a huge challenge and we want to try and do it right as well and working with other municipalities we’ll pool as many resources as we can when the time comes.”
The next steps for the plan include a development briefing package to inform municipalities and developing a formal work plan with other jurisdictions.