Yorkton Council has declared Emergency Preparedness Week for May 4-10 in the city following a request Monday from the Yorkton Zion 8th Scouting Group.
"Emergency Preparedness Week is an annual event that takes place each year during the first full week of May. Public Safety Canada coordinates this national event, in close collaboration with the provinces and territories and partners," Scout Degren Rugland told members of Council at their regular meeting Monday.
Emergency Preparedness Week encourages Canadian to take three simple steps to become better prepared to face a range of emergencies:
Know the risks
Make a plan
Get an emergency kit
"While governments at all levels are working hard to keep Canada safe, everyone has a role to play in being prepared for an emergency. Building awareness is a great first step. By taking an active role in our community, we are helping to build a culture of preparedness in
Canada. As part of Scouts Canada, we take this seriously. "Be Prepared." That's Our Scouting's Motto," continued Dean Rugland, Commissioner Good Spirit Area with Scouts Canada.
The Scout movement is dedicated to being prepared, said Leader Mike Kirby.
"A good Scout would not be caught unprepared in an emergency. Do you have a kit at home that provides food and drinking water for 72 hours? Have you considered what you would do with your pets in the event of an emergency? What skills learned in Scouting may be useful times of emergency? These are all reasons Scouts Canada has an Emergency Preparedness badge. The purpose of the badge is to demonstrate knowledge of how to prepare for an Emergency," he said.
Scout Megan Kirby detailed what the badge required;
There are six requirements:
Describe three situations that would lead to a community emergency. Describe how emergencies can affect the local community and the people in it.
a) Create or update a Family Emergency Pan and discuss with your family. b) As a patrol, create a Troop Emergency Plan and present it to your troop.
Create or Update an Emergency Survival Kit for home use (to support your family for 72 hours).
Identify a person in the community who would possibly require help in an emergency (e.g. someone with special needs, a senior) and how you could assist them.
List three emergencies that are created by climate/weather. What would you do to prepare and react to those?
Earn the First Aid Badge
"As a group, we want to Be Prepared and we want our community to Be Prepared," she said.
