Community Emergency Preparedness Day held in Oyen
The Town of Oyen and the Special Areas Board were excited to host a Community Emergency Preparedness Day on May 6, 2023, in Oyen, AB. Emergency management partners from across the region joined the event to help raise awareness of what people can do in and around their homes to help prepare for emergencies like wildfires, severe storms, and power outages.
With over 200 people stopping by, this event was a great opportunity for people throughout the community to get the latest information on preparing for (and responding to) emergencies.
“Getting better prepared in case of emergencies is something everyone can do! We were so excited to see so many people from the community come out to our second annual community emergency preparedness day. It was a great event that highlighted all the incredible partners we have in the region, and how important it is for everyone to work together in emergencies. I want to thank all our partners for contributing to this successful evening.” — Shaune Kovitch, Oyen Fire Chief , Special Areas Director of Emergency Management
“The collaboration to host this event and amazing efforts from all partners is a testament to our region’s ability to work together in case of an emergency. Being prepared is always your first step when it comes to emergencies, and we were so excited to see the great turnout from our community for this event! Thank you to all partners involved in making this evening a success.” — Town of Oyen
The event hosted a wide range of information from partners across the region, including Alberta Health Services, ATCO Power, Cooperators Insurance, HALO Air Ambulance, RCMP, and local fire departments. The local ATCO team was on hand to cook up a delicious BBQ supper, in addition to their $1500 contribution to the community event.
The highlight of the night was the demonstration of HALO’s air ambulance. HALO-1 dropped right outside the Oyen Fire Hall, with local firefighters preparing a landing zone. HALO responds to calls throughout the region, including emergency medical scenes, critical care transfers, search & rescue, and much more. HALO, as well as STARS, are an important part of emergency responses throughout the entire Special Areas region. Door prizes were another hit, including 72-hour emergency kits; fire prevention & response tools like leaf blowers, fire extinguishers, and water packs; and emergency preparedness kits.
PHOTOS COURTESY SPECIAL AREAS, click for larger images
The event was funded in part through FireSmart’s 2024 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. This is a national campaign that encourages citizens to take actions that increase their home, neighbourhood, and community’s resilience to wildfire. Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES), a renewable company developing a wind power project near Oyen, also contributed $500 towards the community event.
Learn more about how to prepare for emergencies by visiting https://www.alberta.ca/resources-for-your-community. To learn more about how you can help prevent wildfires, visit Fire Smart Alberta at https://www.alberta.ca/wildfire-prevention-and-mitigation.