Morinville Fire Department wants you to get ready for a 72-hour emergency

by Stephen Dafoe

Emergency Preparedness Week runs May 5 to 11, and the Morinville Fire Department wants to help families prepare for a 72-hour emergency. The Department will hold an open house at the Don Found Fire Station on 100 Street on Wednesday, May 8, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Brad Boddez, Morinville’s fire chief and manager of community safety services, said the idea of the event was to promote home and family education on preparing for an emergency or disaster by making an emergency preparedness kit to sustain a family for 72 hours.

“That’s kind of the window they’ve got—72 hours. So, some non-perishables, blankets, first aid kits, that kind of stuff,” Boddez explained, noting that last year’s event drew 200 people. “We’ve purchased some 72-hour kits as giveaways. We have a 4-person 72-hour kit, a 2-person kit, and a pet kit. So, there are three types of raffles that we’re going to have.

Boddez expects a full complement with the members on hand as the event falls on the Fire Department’s training night. In addition, enforcement services officers, RCMP, and Northeast Region Community Awareness Emergency Response (NRCAER) will be present.

“We’ll talk about fire safety, fire prevention, and emergency preparedness,” Boddez said, adding that handouts will list what items should go into a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit.

The Fire Chief explained that emergency preparedness kits are essential across the province in the event of wildfires, flooding, or tornados, as well as in cases of long-term power or heating outages or the need to evacuate one’s home.

Boddez and his crew hope to see a significant turnout again this year to see emergency services at work and to learn about the importance of making a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit.

“I think a key thing when it comes to emergency preparedness is that we never seem to do the whole preparedness part,” he said, noting that the time to make a kit ready to go is before the emergency arrives. “We need to get into that habit of getting things done ahead of time so when the emergency does happen, we don’t have to think about it; we’re ready to go. Because, during that time, you’re not going to have time to get ready.”

The free drop-in event is open to all ages and occurs at the Don Found Fire Station on Wednesday, May 8, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.