Each May, Mississauga’s office of Emergency Management recognizes Emergency Preparedness Week with tips on how to keep your families safe.
While we’ve recommended keeping an emergency kit in your house and vehicles over the past few years, this year I want residents to start thinking beyond items and products. Let’s think about our roles, responsibilities and what we can do for others, in times of need or a crisis.
Emergencies can be described as a serious, unexpected and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action. When an emergency happens, there are first responders, like Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, which is ready when you call for help.
However, there are concrete actions residents can take ahead of time, to also stay prepared.
Follow my suggestions below and take a moment to discuss emergency planning and preparedness with your families this month.
- Create an emergency plan: Sit down with your family and those living with you at home and create an emergency plan. Remember to include your pets.
- Think about everyone: Consider the needs of older people and those with disabilities. Take a moment to read Mississauga’s Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities.
- Build an emergency kit: Gather important things like food, water and first aid supplies. Once again, don’t forget about pets or service animals — be sure to have their items and at least three days’ worth of food.
- Know the risks: Understand what could go wrong where you live, so that you know what to prepare for in an emergency. In Mississauga, the top five hazards that most commonly affect the city are winter storms, floods, thunderstorms, power and telecommunications outages and cyber-attacks.
- Stay updated: Stay informed about what’s happening before, during, and after an emergency and make sure to have a list of important phone numbers on standby.
- Be proactive: If you know someone who might need extra help in an emergency due to health or mobility concerns, ensure they are registered on Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services’ Vulnerable Persons Registry. This ensures that Mississauga firefighters know their needs when attending an emergency call.
- Be fire safe: Learn how to prevent fires by reviewing fire prevention tips with your family regularly throughout the seasons as you will encounter different hazards in the winter than the summer.
- Check your insurance: Make sure you have adequate insurance coverage for a range of risks that might occur in your area. Chat with your insurance provider to ensure you have adequate coverage and that you know the 24/7 emergency phone number to start a claim.
Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes and impact people differently. Let’s work together and use the resources offered by the city and Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services to help gain a better understanding of the risks around us and what we can do, to stay safe.
Be safe, Mississauga.