Emergency Management
Ontario’s Emergency Public Warning System
Ontario’s Emergency Public Warning System is a tool that provides timely and accurate information to Ontario residents, businesses and visitors during an emergency. The system allows Ontarians to receive two types of warnings -Red Alerts and Emergency Information Advisories.
RED ALERTS—The province issues a Red Alert to provide recommended immediate actions to protect citizens, their families and others when there is an imminent threat to life, public safety or property. Each Red Alert will include a brief description of the event, location and recommended actions. Some situations in which a Red Alert may be issued include: large fire or explosion, chemical leak or spill, nuclear emergency, extreme weather events, and transportation accident. Red Alerts will be posted on the Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) website www.emergencymanagementontario.ca and distributed through the media, email, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, Short Message Service (SMS) text messages and Twitter.
Prepare for Emergencies at Home
The 72-Hour Emergency Supplies Kit—One of the best ways you can prepare for emergencies is to have enough supplies at home to feed and take care of you and your family for at least three days. The following items are considered crucial in times of emergency: flashlight and batteries, radio and batteries or crank radio, spare batteries, first aid kit, candles and waterproof matches/lighter, extra car keys and cash/coins, important papers (identification for everyone, personal documents, etc), food - at least three days worth of canned and dry goods such as soups, stews, vegetables, fruits, crackers and instant drinks. Choose foods that are easy to prepare and don’t have to be heated, bottled water for at least three days (4 litres per person per day - enough for drinking, washing, cooking, etc. - that’s 12 litres per person), disposable knives, forks, spoons, cups and plastics, and plastic garbage bags, fuel stove and fuel, clothing and footwear, blankets or sleeping bags, toilet paper, diapers and other personal hygiene items for each individual, medication, eyeglasses, copies of prescriptions, whistle, playing cards, games, toys, supplies kit container (something to hold your kit in), pets and supplies for your pets. Do you have these items on hand?
