Emergency Preparedness

Rural Living & Recreation Emergency Preparedness

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Emergency Preparedness

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Are you prepared to take care of yourself and your family in an emergency? Emergencies can occur quickly and without warning, which makes it vital to be prepared before disaster strikes.

The rural nature of the County of Barrhead also brings unique challenges to emergency preparedness. Remote geography, low population density, livestock considerations, or unreliable cell phone coverage highlight the importance of being prepared for emergencies.

The Provincial Government conducts an annual survey of Albertans to gauge emergency preparedness attitudes and behaviors among Albertan public. The 2022 Preparedness Survey highlights the need for preparedness activities, as an increasing number of Albertans are worried about emergencies or disasters, while a decreasing number of Albertans feel adequately prepared or are actively undertaking emergency preparedness activities.

Wildfire preparedness is increasingly important in our area. Lean how to safeguard your rural property from wildfire.

Are You Prepared?

Start emergency planning today! Emergency preparedness follows four general steps:

Review potential risks and hazards in your area
Make an emergency plan and know it well
Build a kit
Stay informed and up-to-date on potential emergency situations

Expand the options below for more details!

Know the Risks

Knowing the types of hazards that can trigger an emergency is imperative to planning for and responding to emergency situations. It's important to know the types of hazards and emergencies that might occur in the County of Barrhead.

Potential hazards in the County of Barrhead include both natural and unnatural events, such as:

Click on the hazards listed above to learn how you can prepare for and manage these events.

Make a Plan

Personal Emergency Plan

Making a personal emergency plan and knowing it well can help you remain calm during a disaster.

Your personal emergency plan should include:

Evacuation plan from home
Meeting places
Emergency contact information
Communication plan (if located in poor cell phone service)

Click here to use a personal emergency plan template and get started making a plan for you and your family.

Keep in mind: If your family includes special considerations like seniors, children, pets, disabilities or special needs, your emergency plan may change.

Home Evacuation Plan

Evacuation orders can be issued with little to no notice. Knowing what to do if evacuating can help protect your home! If time allows:

Shut all windows & doors; lock the door when you leave
Remove window shades & curtains
Close metal window shutters
Move furniture to center of room, away from windows & doors
Shut off gas at the meter & turn off pilot lights
Shut off air conditioning

Farm Emergency Plan

Remote locations, poor cell phone coverage, farm animals, and hazardous material means that rural landowners will have additional considerations to prepare for an emergency.

A farm and livestock emergency plan will include everything from your personal emergency plan, as well as:

Farmstead site map
Emergency phone numbers
The location of your property: both legal land description and municipal ("green sign") address

Click here to use a rural emergency plan template and make a plan for your farm.

Plan for farm animals:

Protect yourself and your family first! After ensuring the safety of yourself and your family, prepare your animals only if it is safe to do so.

If time permits:

Open gates between pens and pastures to give the animals more room to escape the hazard.
Put extra feed and water out where the animals can get to it, as it may be a few days before you are allowed to return home.

Build a Kit

In the event of a major emergency or disaster, emergency services are often delayed or interrupted. It is important to be prepared and self-sufficient for at least the first 72 hours after an emergency. Building an emergency kit is a vital step in preparedness.

Personal Emergency Kit:

Click here for a detailed checklist of what to include in your emergency kit.

In general, your basic emergency kit should include:

Food & water
Clothing & bedding
Sources of light & fuel
First aid & personal hygiene
Important documents & identification
Supplies for pets

Farm Emergency Kit:

Just like your emergency plan, living on a farm will change what to include in your emergency kit.

In addition to the items in your personal emergency kit, a farm emergency kit might also include:

Water, feed, and buckets
Current listing of animals, including location and record of vaccinations
Handling equipment appropriate for each kind of animal
Tools to quickly free animals in an emergency
Animal first-aid kits

When building your emergency kit, consider any required items if any special cases apply to your family: like pregnancy, breastfeeding, small children, physical disabilities or special needs.

Stay Informed

Stay Informed
One of the most important things to do during an emergency is to keep up to date with information, updates, evacuation alerts or shelter-in-place notifications. Direction from authorities can change quickly, so staying informed could save your life!