The Bruce County Emergency Management Program has launched an updated Bruce County Emergency Response Plan.
While Bruce County is a safe place to live, work and play, emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time. The county, through its Emergency Management Program, is responsible for ensuring the county response to an emergency is effectively coordinated.
The plan describes how the county co-ordinates with lower-tier municipalities and external partner organizations, to respond to emergencies before they happen, during the emergency, and afterwards for recovery.
Emergencies threaten public safety, public health, the environment, property, continuity of government operations, critical infrastructure, and economic stability. It is not a matter of “if” there will be an emergency, it is a matter of “when” there will be an emergency.
Effective emergency management in Bruce County requires a co-ordinated response among many different types of organizations, including:
Other public sector organizations (i.e., school boards, hospitals)
Private industry, such as critical infrastructure owners and operators
Neighbouring counties
Non-governmental organizations
Building from the newly-updated Emergency Response Plan, the emergency management team has a robust training and exercise program for identified county staff. Training and exercises are legislated pieces of emergency management and are an important part of developing skills, knowledge, and resources to deal with an emergency.
The county’s Emergency Management Program runs an exercise for staff yearly at a minimum, and provides ongoing training throughout the year.
“The Bruce County Emergency Response Plan outlines how the county will co-ordinate not only a county-level response to an emergency, but it also outlines how we will work to prevent, mitigate, and prepare for many types of emergencies, said Ray Lux, emergency management co-ordinator for the county.
“The plan also addresses how the county will assist in the recovery efforts post-emergency. Our goal is to ensure that Bruce County is safe, practised, and prepared for an emergency, and that we can respond in a co-ordinated and proactive manner ensuring a successful recovery. The newly-updated Bruce County Emergency Response Plan lays a foundation for that work.”