The City of Pembroke is only a few days away from its annual disaster preparedness exercise, which is set to occur on Wednesday, April 22, and will test the readiness of a number of city services during a time of crisis.
Lead organizer, Pembroke Fire Chief Scott Selle, has been working with the heads of several municipal departments for many weeks, planning the mock disaster that is to occur at the PMC in the form of an ammonia leak at the arena. This will result in a number of simulated casualties, which will require the attention of PRH during the staged event.
A “control group” will be brought into the Pembroke Fire Hall that morning to oversee the event. Chief Selle explains:
The second aspect of the drill will be the actual rollout of resources needed to address the situation, which will include a response by firefighters, as well as police and County EMS services, who will converge on the PMC at a planned hour on that date.
Selle expects that even though this drill is larger in scale than any previous exercises of this nature, it will not create any unnecessary disruption to the city — so it will be business as usual for most people going about their daily routines:
The annual drill is mandated under the Emergency Preparedness Act by the Province of Ontario.
Central to the drill will be the involvement of a number of high school students who have volunteered to act as mock casualties, numbering between 25 and 30. However, Selle says more roles are available for anyone else who would like to get involved:
For further information relating to the drill, feel free to contact the Pembroke Fire Department, and stay tuned to our website as the date approaches.
(Written By: Richard Evans)
