In the case of an emergency, Langford Emergency Support Services hopes to have you covered.
Volunteers and members of the public, which included families, couples and even pets, participated in an overnight event this past weekend which sought to better prepare participants in the event of a natural disaster.
“Evacuees” numbered roughly 25 and ranged from the age of four to 70-something according to the services’ director Tom Burchill.
They spent the night indoors at the South Vancouver Island Rangers clubhouse in order to simulate a real evacuation.
“It’s a diverse population that we’ve had in here,” he told the Gazette following the completion of the stay.
Two instructors from the Justice Institute of British Columbia were on hand to observe and offer feedback on the drill.
The Langford group, which numbers 68 volunteers, could set up at any number of facilities around the city in the event of a disaster.
“This (setup) would be exactly what we would use in a real disaster,” Burchill noted. “This event is more to train my crew.”
But the event also gave members of the public a good idea of what to expect should they be evacuated from their homes.
Megan and Eric Seiferling signed up for the event in order to get a better sense of what emergency protocol would look like.
“I’m part of the emergency response team at my work … it’s good to see what people in the volunteer community are doing. You know these programs exist you just don’t know what it looks like,” Eric said.
“They provided us with some information to make sure we have our own bags ready to go and grab when it’s time to go,” Megan added.
The couple also learned how to prepare a kit for their dog Douglas as well. Uniquely, the overnight stay included the participation of cats and dogs who stayed in a seperate shelter along with their owners.
Janet Camerey, director for the South Island Pets Team, a branch of emergency support services focusing on owners and their pets, hopes the weekend served as an educational tool for owners on how to prepare kits for their furry companions.
“A lot of pets are on special diets and special medications just like humans, so packing up a kit for your pet is great so that when you show up you’ve got some food for them that they’re used to,” she said.
Burchill noted that the organization is also prepared to take in exotic pets, such as lizards and snakes.
“It was a fun event and it went well,” he said.