Wildfires don't just happen in the wilderness! They can also be a risk within urban developments, particularly if the developments are near forested areas or heavy vegetation. Brush or grass fires can easily spread to nearby homes, causing an urban wildfire. Urban wildfires can start small and initially go unnoticed but can spread quickly. Help keep your home and family safe by following a few simple prevention tips.

Preparedness Tips for Your Family

• Make sure every floor and all sleeping areas have working smoke alarms.
• Set up emergency numbers in your phone.
• Create a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit ready to go with at least*
  • 4 litres of water per person, per day for drinking and cleaning
  • Non-refrigerated food and a manual can opener
  • Crank or battery powered flashlight/batteries
  • Crank or battery powered radio
  • Blankets or sleeping bags
  • Toiletries
  • First aid kit

* Specialized items may be needed for infants, seniors, persons with disabilities and pets.

Prevention Tips for Your Home

• Keep your roof, siding and deck in good repair, free from holes, gaps and cracks.
• Use non-combustible building materials.
• Use multi-paned and tempered windows, including those on doors and the garage.
• Use metal or aluminum gutters and ensure they’re kept clear of needles and leaves.
• Consider a closed porch, balcony or deck, which provide additional protection.
• Keep combustible material on an open deck to a minimum.

Prevention Tips for Your Yard

• Create a buffer zone around your home that is free from combustibles that support burning, such as shrubs, patio furniture and overhanging branches.
• If possible, extend a minimum of 1.5 metre non-combustible surface around the perimeter of your home.
• Keep firewood piles, construction materials, and propane tanks as far away from the home as possible.
• Regularly clean up accumulations of fallen branches, dry grass, tree needles and leaves.
• Mow your lawn regularly to keep it at a height of 6 inches or less.
• Plant low density, fire-resistant plants.

If a Wildfire is Approaching your Home

• Listen to local radio and watch City of City social media channels for up-to-date information, including emergency instructions and road closures.
• Pack your car with your valuables and park it facing forward out of the driveway with windows closed.
• Close all home windows and doors, and move combustible materials, such as curtains and furniture, away from windows.
• Cover vents, windows and other openings with duct tape.
• Turn off propane or natural gas.

To learn more, or to book a personal or neighbourhood emergency preparedness presentation, email Cityemergencyprogram@City.ca. You can also request a free HomeSafe visit to assess the fire risks inside your home.

In an earthquake, sound usually precedes any ground movement by a split second. This is followed by shaking that can last from several seconds to several minutes. Over the following hours or days, aftershocks may occur.

What to do to prepare for an earthquake

• Check that you have a battery-powered radio in working order, with spare batteries, to listen to instructions from your local station.
• Put together a household emergency supply kit that includes food, water and medical supplies and a Grab and Go kit in case you have to evacuate.
• Create a family emergency plan and practice it.
• Have an out-of-province telephone contact who your family can call and check in if you get separated.
• Check your home and minimize any hazards

What to do during an earthquake

If you're in a building:

• Remain calm.
• Stay inside, away from windows or anything that could fall on you.
• Get under a heavy desk or table and hang on, or sit in a doorway or corner.
• If you can't get under something strong, then flatten yourself against an interior wall and protect your head and neck.
• Don't attempt to leave the building unless you feel the building is unsafe.
• Wait for the shaking to stop, and be aware there may be aftershocks. Stay in your position for at least 60 seconds after the shaking stops.

In you are out at a shopping mall or other public place, follow the same rules in terms of avoiding windows and heavy, falling debris. You should also try to take cover where you won't be trampled. In any public place, don't run for the exit or use the elevator. Seek assistance from staff to leave the building when it is safe. Seniors or people with disabilities If you're able, move to a safe place in the room. If you are unable to move safely and quickly, stay where you are and cover your head with whatever is available, like pillows, blankets or books. If you're in a wheelchair, move to an archway or interior wall. Lock the wheels and cover you head and neck with your hands. If you're outdoors:

• Get into an open area away from power lines, structures and trees.

If you come across a power line, stay back to avoid electric shock - never assume power lines are dead. People, metal and damp objects are conductors. If you're in a vehicle:

• Stop in a clear area.
• Stay in your car with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops.

If you're on a bus or train:

• Stay in your seat until the bus or train has stopped.
• Protect your head with whatever is available, such as a book or pillow.
• Follow the instructions of the driver.

If you're on a boat or ferry: Being on the water (or in an airplane) is safer than being on land during an earthquake. If you are on a boat or ferry, listen to the crew for direction.

After the shaking stops

People cope better during a disaster, and recover more quickly afterwards, when they work together. “Neighbours helping neighbours” is the principle behind City’s Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program (NEPP), part of the City Emergency Program (SEP). The NEPP helps neighbourhoods identify the skills and resources that would be useful in a disaster, and teaches them how to respond safely and effectively in organized teams. The goal is to prepare neighbourhoods to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours after a disaster. A neighbourhood can be a group of homes, an apartment or townhouse complex, a school or daycare, a business, or any other place where the same individuals regularly gather. Download the Neighbourhood Toolkit for help developing your neighbourhood plan.

How it works

NEPP facilitators conduct meetings with citizen groups and then act as consultants as those groups develop their response plans. Personal preparedness is the first step of NEPP. The second step focuses on setting up your neighbourhood team, including the following response units:

• Shelter and Care Giving
• Communications and Transportation
• Light Urban Search and Rescue
• Utilities and Fire Suppression
• Disaster First Aid
• Damage Assessment

The third step involves practicing your roles in a table-top exercise at the City Fire Service Central Training Facility. After that, it is up to you to maintain your prepared neighbourhood. Facilitated meetings and the table-top exercise are free. Groups are responsible for their own supply costs if they wish to augment their neighbourhood’s resources. Advanced training is available for a nominal cost.

Free Presentations

Free Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program Presentations are offered to any neighbourhood, school, or interested group in City. To arrange a presentation, email Cityemergencyprogram@City.ca or call 604-123-4567.

Disasters take many forms: floods, winter storms, chemical spills, forest fires, earthquakes etc. When disaster strikes, the best protection is knowing what to do. Be prepared to be on your own without help for 72 hours or more whether you are at home, in your car or at work. Securing your home and putting together an emergency kit is vital - it will give you peace of mind to know that your family is prepared. Along with everything below, make sure you have a Personal Emergency Supply Kit as well as a Grab and Go Kit for your home, workplace, and vehicle.

Household Emergency Plan

Develop an emergency plan to help you and your family know what to do after an emergency or if you need to evacuate your home or neighbourhood. It will take you about 20 minutes to prepare your plan. When creating your plan:

• Assign specific tasks to family member like gathering pets, collecting the supplies, providing first aid, etc.
• List the most important items to be taken with you and only those that can be hand carried.
• Mark the date you prepared your plan and update it as changes occur.
• Keep your plan in a place that’s easy to find and to remember (e.g. with your emergency kit) as well as other locations such as your car, work and on your computer.
• Make sure everyone in the household knows about the plan. Practice it with everyone at least once a year.

Escape Routes

Make sure you and everyone in your family/household knows all the escape routes:

• Draw a floor plan of your home showing main and alternate exits from each room, as well as locations of extinguishers, water and gas valves, electrical box, emergency supplies, and an outdoor meeting place.
• If you live in an apartment, plan to use the stairs rather than the elevators. If you would be unable to use the stairs, notify City Fire Service ahead of time so that the information is put on file.
• Make note of escape route options from your neighbourhood.

Meeting Places

Identify a safe place near the home (e.g. at a neighbour’s) and away from the home (e.g. at a relative’s home, local school or church) where everyone should meet if they have to leave during an emergency. The meeting place near your home should be on the same side of the street as your home, so you don’t need to cross the street into traffic or in front of emergency vehicles.

Emergency Contact Information

Create an emergency contact list with all of the following identified. Leave a copy close to your telephone and in your emergency kits at home, work and vehicle. Make sure everyone has a copy in their wallet or programmed into their cell phone. Local emergency numbers:

• Fire, police, ambulance: 911
• Poison control

Have the following for Family contacts and friend/neighbour contacts: Include information for all household members other and relatives.

• Name
• Phone numbers: home, work, cell
• Email address
• Home address

Work/school/child care contacts

• Employer name, address and phone numbers
• School name, address and phone numbers
• Daycare or child care provider name, address and phone numbers
• Designated person for pickup of children from school or daycare – name, address and phone numbers

Out of town contacts Plan for each family member to contact the same out-of-town contact person in the event of an emergency. Everyone should call this person, tell them where they are and how they are doing, and arrange a future check-in time. Choose a contact who lives far enough away (e.g. out of province) that he or she will probably not be affected by the same event. Choose someone with voicemail or an answering machine, and who lives in a long-distance area since long-distance service is often easier to obtain after a disaster. If you are new to Canada or don’t have an out-of-town contact person, make arrangements through friends, cultural associations or community organizations.

Important Documents and Records

When disaster strikes, you may need to access important contact numbers and household documents. Keep copies in two secure locations, such as a safety deposit box, fireproof safe or watertight bags in the freezer. You could also exchange documents with others you trust or upload to a secure location on the internet (e.g. secure cloud storage). Gather copies of information such as:

• House insurance policies, photos/receipts to assist with claims, and contact information
• Life insurance or other policies and contact information
• Deeds, wills, tax records and birth certificates
• Health records and personal medical information such as prescriptions (medication and eye), allergies and special needs
• Social insurance and passport numbers
• Bank/financial account numbers
• Vehicle make, plate number and identification number
• Utility companies: gas, hydro, internet, telephone
• Lawyer, doctor, dentist and other medical service provider contact information
• Landlord contact information,
• Security alarm company contact information

Evacuation Procedures

Your house may not be habitable or safe after a disaster, or authorities may ask you to leave if they believe you are in danger. If you are required to evacuate:

• Collect your Grab and Go kit, essential medications, copies of prescriptions and important documents, and a cell phone.
• Ensure each member of the household has warm clothing and waterproof footwear and outerwear.
• Make sure each member has ID, especially children. Nametags on their clothing, wallet cards or wrist bracelets are useful in case you get separated.
• Turn off and unplug all appliances, and shut off water and electricity if officials tell you to. Leave natural gas service on unless officials tell you to turn it off. If you go turn off the gas, the gas company has to reconnect it, which may take weeks after a major emergency.
• Lock your doors when you leave.

When you leave, follow the specified evacuation routes. Shortcuts could take you to a blocked or dangerous area. If your meeting location changes, make sure everyone knows about the change and the new location. Provide children with a note sealed in a plastic bag stating the destination. Register with the local emergency reception centre when you leave home, even if you are not staying at the centre. Emergency responders need to know how to reach you to advise when it is safe to return.

Reception Centres

City has 6 six primary and 6 secondary designated evacuation/reception centres to support the residents in the event of a disaster. The number of centers that open depends on the location and the nature of the situation and any necessary evacuation measures. During an evacuation, City officials will inform the public of the location of the nearest reception centre. Information will also be broadcasted on CBC AM 690 or other local radio/TV stations, and posted on our site and social media accounts. Learn more about Emergency Social Services.

Emergencies and disasters are inevitable, and recent disasters have shown how devastating these catastrophic events can be to businesses and local economies. Download the complete Emergency Toolkit for Businesses for checklists and other useful information to keep your business safe during a disaster. Businesses that are prepared for disasters such as major storms, earthquakes, floods, fires, or hazardous materials spills:

• Are better able to survive disasters and protect their employees and operations.
• Play a significant role in their community’s recovery.
• Are more likely to meet safety and workplace regulations, including the provincial Workers Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulations and the Canada Labour Code

Developing your Emergency Plan

Consider these items when developing your emergency plan.

Data and Documentation

• Check your insurance policy to ensure important business assets are covered in the event of a disaster.
• Make sure your emergency contact information is posted in your office.
• Back up critical business data and retain an off-site copy.

Site Safety

• Review checklists for building safety.
• Keep first aid kits well stocked and consider offering basic first aid training to employees
• Maintain fire extinguishers to keep in working order, and consider obtaining fire extinguisher training for all staff through City Fire Service.
• Regularly check smoke detector batteries.
• Keep a properly stocked emergency kit in the office.

Advance Planning

• Develop and train employees on a business emergency preparedness plan, including:
  • Business risk analysis
  • Crisis communications plan
  • Evacuation and shelter-in-place plans
  • Aiding employees or customers with special needs
• Discuss emergency plans with suppliers, service providers and other business network partners
• Consider contingency plans in case of utility disruption.
• Encourage employees to develop household emergency plans.

Employee Safety

To ensure the safety of your employees, ensure you offer training and supplies for employees, familiarize all staff with your plan and make sure you account for any special needs of employees.

Building Safety

Ensure your building's safety by considering the different types of emergencies and the potential risks associated with your building. Following these steps will help you plan to keep your building and staff as safe as possible:

• If you manage building utilities, designate individuals to be responsible for shutting them off in an emergency if needed.
• Identify contact information for any inspection and repair professionals you may need after an emergency.
• Make sure building contents are properly secured in case of an earthquake.
• Identify alternate work locations in the event your building becomes severely damaged or inaccessible.
• Discuss with a professional options for addressing any structural safety issues regarding earthquakes, floods, etc.
• Keep property well maintained to ensure proper storm drainage, lessen risk of trees falling on structures/power lines, etc.
• Review insurance policies to ensure building structure and contents are adequately covered.

Evacuation Alerts or Orders

Some emergencies may make staying put dangerous. In such cases, it may be safer for you to evacuate the immediate area and go to family or friends or an emergency reception centre. The authority to order an evacuation can rest with different levels of government (local, provincial or federal). Various methods will be used to advise residents and businesses in the event that emergency messaging is needed, including an “evacuation alert” or an “evacuation order.” Tools include going door-to-door (if applicable), in a patrol car or fire vehicle using the PA system, alerting the media (radio, TV, internet), and social media (Twitter, Facebook and website). Every emergency is different and people may be asked to evacuate to a specific location or shelter-in-place.