Steinbach’s Emergency Operations and Response Teams are pleased with the results of yesterday’s mock tornado exercise. The exercise was a test of the City’s Emergency Plan and response to the scenario of a tornado touching down in the southeast portion of the city.
Denis Vassart, Emergency Planning Coordinator for Steinbach, said the exercise went quite well overall. He said that some areas of the City’s Emergency Plan require some fine-tuning, noting the flow of information between the emergency scenes and the reception centre. This issue and others will be amended to ensure Steinbach has an efficient Emergency Plan.
On behalf of the Emergency Operations Centre team, Vassart would like to thank the following groups for their dedicated involvement in the exercise.
Steinbach Fire, Kleefeld Fire, La Broquerie Fire, Office of the Fire Commissioner K-9 unit, SERHA Emergency Medical Service Ambulance teams, RCMP, Steinbach Public Works Department, Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization, Goldenwest Broadcasting, The Carillon, Hanover School Division, as well as the many willing and enthusiastic volunteers from the SRSS (cosmetology students and staff did the make-up for the injuries on the drama students that participated and other students videotaped the exercise), Biovail, the Steinbach Lions Club, residents of the area who volunteered to act as victims, and the general public for their patience during the road closures.
The Emergency Operations Team is required to conduct an exercise on a portion of the Emergency Plan once every three years. This exercise can be as small as a “Table Top” exercise or as large as the “Full Scale” exercise that was conducted yesterday.
The City wishes to thank the Emergency Operations Team and Denis Vassart for their dedication to keeping the residents of Steinbach safe.
