HOME & GARDEN

Emergency co-ordinator answers
questions on local preparedness

APRIL 22 to 27 has been declared
Provincial Emergency
Preparedness Week to increase
public awareness of community
emergency plans and programs.
North and West Vancouver
Emergency Program coordinator
Ross Peterson recently discussed
municipal planning for emergen-
cies and disasters.

Q. We hear a great deal lately
about earthquakes, hazardous
chemical spills, and other kinds of
disasters around the world. Can
these happen here on the North
Shore?

A. Most definitely. We live in a
seismically active part of the
world, prone to earthquakes and
even volcanoes. The Pacific Coast
of Canada is very much like other
parts of the ‘‘Ring of Fire”
around the Pacific Ocean which
have historically experienced very
large damaging earthquakes and
frequent volcanic eruptions.

Q. While we are talking about
the hazards themselves, what
about the risks of chemical spills
on the North Shore?

A. Although we have large vol-
umes of potentially dangerous
chemicals manufactured, stored
and shipped in and through the
North Shore, the record in the
past has been good in terms of
public safety. We are not compla-
cent however, as we are reminded
of the problems experienced
elsewhere such as the Mississauga
rail accident some 12 years ago
which resulted in large scale
evacuation and disruption of
normal commerce for some time.

This is one area where mitiga-
tion or reduction of threat
through planning and cooperation
with industry is an absolute must
in order to ensure an acceptable
level of protection for ithe
residents of the North Shore. I am
pleased to say that we have good
cooperation with industry and I
hope that ongoing planning to

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posure will ultimately result in an
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activity and public protection.

In saying this, | do not wish to
underplay the kinds of risks these
hazardous materials present to the
North Shore, as many can be life
threatening, but the aim of the
North Shore municipalities in their
emergency and disaster planning is
to better understand these risks so
that they can be reduced and
managed effectively.

Q. You mentioned emergency
and disaster planning. What is be-
ing done and how well is the
North Shore protected?

A. First of all, we have com-
pleted general emergency response
plans for the three North Shore
municipalities which will enable
any of the municipalities to res-
pond appropriately to any
emergency within their bound-
aries, or even to a North Shore-
wide disaster.

The reason we have prepared
these municipal emergency
response plans is to acknowledge
that we do not have enough pro-
fessional responders and resources
to provide a normal level of pro-
tection in times of emergency, and
that we would require a special
organizational structure and
special authority to ensure that
our limited resources are used to
best advantage in such situations.
Thus, our limited resources and

manpower have to be coordinated,

and this is done according to our
municipal emergency response
plans.

These plans spell out the special
roles and procedures for
municipal staff including fire
department, police department,
ambulance service, public works
and others in responding to an
emergency or disaster situation.
The plans also spell out the roles
and procedures for several volun-
teer organizations such as

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emergency social services, amateur
radio group and North Shore
Rescue.

We also have emergency and
disaster bylaws for each North
Shore municipality which provide
extraordinary authority to deal ef-
fectively with the situation such as
acquisition of needed resources
from outside sources.

With these response plans in
place, we feel that we are
prepared to respond to most
emergencies that might befall us
here on the North Shore.

Q. So, is the preparation of
these emergency response plans
the extent of the emergency plan-
ning on the North Shore?

A. By no means. The general
tesponse plans are only one step
in a process of emergency plan-
ning that is taking us closer to
where we want to be in a few
years in our overall emergency
preparedness. But let me say that
the early preparation of these
response plans was essential so
that we could respond to any
emergency that happened while we
were developing qur full

_ See Program page 17

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