Three steps to prep for emergencies and low-income safety tips at West End workshop

On one of the coldest days of the year, and as the news of the massive fires in California were wreaking havoc, Ian Desjarlais of Spence Neighbourhood’s Bear Den quickly opened the door to community members arriving to attend an emergency preparedness workshop.

Ali Caporale of the Manitoba Eco-Network explained the workshop is part of a project “trying to tackle some energy poverty issues.” When people are struggling to pay their energy bills, it’s hard to stay warm and cool in their homes as temperatures become more extreme, she said. “We think it’s valuable that people are prepared for extreme weather events and emergencies like we learned about today.” 

The workshop included presentations by the Red Cross, and Winnipeg Office of Emergency Management.

Emergency Management Officer Dwayne Hackinen said not enough people are aware of the resources available to them — for instance, Smoke Alarms for Every Family Program (S.A.F.E.), which offers free smoke alarms and installation to at-risk residents of owner-occupied homes. He also mentioned ways to find out road conditions, severe weather and natural disasters — apps and websites like Manitoba 511, WeatherCAN, and Alertable.

One workshop participant, Dwayne Gladu, had his own experience of bad road conditions. He told The Leaf he was on his way back to Winnipeg from a Christmas Eve gathering, when the engine of his car broke down, and “nobody stopped.”

 “I was outside, and  [drivers] were like ‘Ehh, step on the gas, man’,” said Gladu, who waited for help on the side of the road for eight hours with his kids and some spare blankets.

Presenters explained that when emergencies strike, you usually don’t have time to do anything except react. They stressed there are three simple steps you can take that could save your life in an emergency — Assess, Plan, and Network.

 Assess risks unique to your neighbourhood, your home, your family, your vehicle, and yourself. You may be as prepared as the average person, but are you prepared for your specific needs? If you’re older, and on the 13th floor, be ready for the elevator not working.

  The second step is Plan. Hackinen emphasized the importance of having a household emergency plan, just like the ones at work and school. Emergencies can happen at any time, even at home. For instance, where do you meet if you have to evacuate?

Networking involves connecting with your local community and support network. “Talk to [people] living in [your] building, talk to your neighbours, talk to the management. Know the exits, know the routes, know how to get out,” Hackinen said.

The Red Cross took over the last part of the presentation, and shared physical emergency resources. One of these was an emergency contact card—kept in your wallet or pocket after filling out details like name, age, emergency contacts, and medical information. Labossiere reminded participants of the importance of carrying these paper copies on us, because we are often unable to charge devices in an emergency, and we have become more reliant on them for remembering phone numbers. Anyone can make a card by simply writing the info on a piece of paper.

Labossiere and Wright also talked about 72-hour kits: emergency kits with everything you need to live for 72 hours in an emergency, without access to essentials like water, food, heat, etc. One kit was spread out on a table to demonstrate, and was given away at the end of the event in a silent auction.

Similar to your emergency plan, Labossiere said the contents of the kit should be specific to your unique risks. We should be “focused on warmth, on food, and on water” at a very basic level, “but then also looking to create that kit that’s really specific [to] your household, and the number of people that are in your home,” Labossiere said. The Red Cross has an online guide to making emergency kits at tinyurl.com/redcross-emergencykit.

The workshop presented several other online and phone resources, found below:

Government Phone Numbers:

911 • Emergency
988 • Suicide Emergency
511 • Road/Travel Conditions
311 • City Services – will direct you to the right department for any problem
211 • Community Resources in multiple languages

Websites and Apps:

988 • 988.ca
511 • manitoba511.ca
311 • winnipeg.ca/311-city-services
WeatherCAN • tinyurl.com/weathercan
Alertable • alertable.ca
Emergency Kits • tinyurl.com/redcross-emergencykit
Red Cross • redcross.ca
SAFE Family Program • gov.mb.ca/safefamily