North Glengarry council received at its most recent meeting an update on its Emergency Response Plan (ERP).
Over the course of the last eight months, the Municipal Emergency Control Group met three times, Jena Doonan, Deputy Clerk and Community Emergency Management Coordinator told council.
During one of those sessions, a tabletop exercise was held in September, in which a fictional emergency was declared due to major flooding and collapsed buildings as a result of failed infrastructure. Staff members from Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital held tabletop simulations simultaneously.
The Municipal Emergency Control Group consists of the CAO, Treasurer, Director of Public Works, Director of Community Services, Fire Chief, two council members and the Community Emergency Management Coordinator, all of whom will control operations in the case of a municipal emergency. According to the Act, if the Mayor declares an emergency in part or the whole of North Glengarry, all Township staff become designated emergency workers and must assist in implementing the ERP.
An ERP is mandated by the provincial Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. The ERP ensures an outline of the Township’s emergency management program is updated yearly to include an emergency plan, training and practical exercises for municipal staff, procedures for emergency response and recovery efforts, along with public education and preparedness for possible emergencies.
