Emergency Preparedness Week

Failing to plan is planning to fail. A bad plan is better than no plan at all. Don't be scared, be prepared. There's no shortage of sayings and clever phrases when it comes to being prepared. And it's a simple message we should all take to heart, especially this week.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
It was nice to see the suncome out over the weekend. Not only
did it warm up enough for thetrees to start budding out in earnest,
the flies all seem to hatch atonce. Yeah, I'm pretty sure the
black flies and mosquitoes are now competingwith the ticks from my plasma. I
think there's a lineup. We hada couple of fire calls over the weekend
and we ended up scrambling for thebug spray. It pays to be prepared
for the little things as well asthe big ones, and this just happens

(00:22):
to be emergency prepared this week now. The federal Minister in charge of Public
Safety put this statement out quote Todaymarks the beginning of Emergency prepared This Week
and annual reminder for Canadians on theimportance of being prepared for emergencies, and
this year's theme, be Prepared,Know Your Risks, encourages Canadians to understand
potential risks in their area and learnwhat actions they can take to protect themselves

(00:42):
in their families. End quote.Bill Blair went on quote, this week
is also time to recognize the courageof our first responders and our emergency management
professionals. And celebrate the incredible workthey do. He says he's personally grateful
for all their dedicated service ensuring thesafety of all Canadians end quote. And
while I was out swatting flies,other communities have been facing real immediate threats

(01:03):
in the past week. Floods andwildfires ravaged communities right across Canada. Usual
advice supplies. Failing to plan isplanning to fail, as Blair said,
quote, this year, I encourageyou to become familiar with the actions you
can take before these emergencies occurred tobetter protect yourself and your family. It
can be as simple as making yourown emergency kit, creating a family emergency
plan, or becoming more informed aboutthe risks and hazards that could exist in

(01:27):
your area now, he says,visit that get Prepared web page end quote.
I only have a few people inmy life who are truly prepared,
more of a mindset than anything else. I don't have a go bag or
a stockpilot survival stuff, but Icould pull together one in a pretty quick
time if I had to. Butagain, having a plan is key,

(01:47):
and having a bad plan is wellbetter than having no plan at all.
I often think about how our emergencycrews have very little time to react.
No one calls the fire department whenthe fire is still small and manageable.
Now it needs to overwhelm them orscare them before they decide it's time to
call in people who train for thatkind of situation and have the tools to
deal with it. On Saturday,a tree fell on a power line and

(02:08):
caught the woods on fire around it. Fortunately there was a big enough crew
who responded on a Saturday afternoon tocontain and extinguish it, and thanks to
the people who saw it and callednine one one. Now the preparedness website
says the keys are to other risks. Make a plan and get an emergency
kit, and as simple and aseasy as it is to follow that guideline,
pull together what you need to surviveon your own for forty eight hours.

(02:30):
Most people won't bother. Why worryabout something that may or may not
happen. Other people will step inand take care of me if there's an
emergency. There's no way I couldbe prepared for every scenario. True,
but a bad plan is still betterthan no plan at all. And I
hope some of the messaging this week'scuts through the noise and well you at
least take a minute to visit GetPrepared dot GC, Dota Bookmarket, or

(02:53):
leave the tab open. Never hurtsto be prepared and even help you and
your family.