Articles

Welcome to Fall! It has been a whirlwind September and October! After a restful summer, it was time to dive into schooling and resume committee activities. Due to personal events, I did not accept presentation requests in September. In October, I was invited to present to a class at Thompson Rivers University on the needs…

Deafblind Awareness Month was celebrated in June. Due to circumstances, I only participated in a virtual panel facilitating a topic on “Advocacy Fatigue” and “”In Our Own Hands: Deafblind Experience”. The presentation was geared towards the CNIB, CNIB Deafblind Community Services (DBCS) and VLRC (Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada) staff. This session provided insight to the…

Situational Awareness Where ever we live, work and play, we always have to be alert to our surroundings. If you frequent a place often, such as a job or work location, take time to locate all the emergency exits and understand their emergency policies. Even if you visit a place sporadically, such as a movie…

Pets and Guide / Service Dogs Animals are companions to all of us who experience stress or trauma. It is essential that we can’t forget that their needs as just as important in ours in self-care when evacuating due to a disaster. In Canada, there is the Canadian Animal Disaster Response Team (CDART) that is…

Community Networking Many municipalities during emergency preparedness week or other disaster-related events will have workshops or booths at fairs or mall. This is a great opportunity to to understand the services offered in your area and what a reception center experience may “feel” like. Many emergency management professionals are passionate about ensuring residents within their…

Travel and Tourism — Work and Play Travel to a new area or even if you have visited the same place for business, while planning for your trip, review the hazards and risks for that location. Some areas have high risks of earthquakes or heavy snow accumulations. Most municipalities will have a hazard or risk…

All municipalities, whether big or small, participate in annual exercises with the emergency planning or coordination team to ensure all stakeholders are prepared to be activated to a response. Operations- or discussion-based exercises are essential; especially, full-scale where all parties collaborate together in a “mock” environment with “real” equipment to simulate a potential “real-life” scenario.…

There are three easy steps to ensure you and your family are well-equipped and resilient in times of human- or climate-related disasters: Step 1: Know your area’s risk and/or hazards – assess your work and home area of their risks and hazards. Understand how high or low those risks. Also, keep this in mind for…

This month I attended NESST 2025 in Prince George, BC, which was well-attended with 340+ attendees present. This is the largest the annual conference had within the last 12 years. It was a phenomenal opportunity for networking, knowledge-sharing and learning from other EM/ESS professionals. I hope to attend next year in Kamloops! I have discontinued…

January and February Presentation and News I am going to start providing monthly updates of activities or promotions that may pique your interests. I will continue to offer additional posts celebrating commemorative days or upcoming conferences/workshops that may be of interest to you. For the first installment, I will be combining both January and February…

This is the first year British Columbia has announced October 11-18, ShakeOut BC Week with the annual earthquake drill occuring on October 17th at 10:17 a.m. British Columbia Earthquake Alliance (https://bcearthquakealliance.ca/) has been instrumental in advocating for individuals across British Columbia to practice annual earthquake drills. Earthquakes can occur anywhere. Want to participate in ShakeOutBC?…

Today is the last of the series for National Guide Dog Awareness Month. Below are my personal suggestions for any guide or service dog handler to add to their 72-hour “GO” kit and your vehicle kit. Store your dog’s medical and emergency information in your bag AND in a cloud-storage space to access through your…

Any person who is blind, visually-impaired or deafblind utilizing a guide dog for independent travel have public access rights under Canadian’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Each province have differing languages pertaining to either guide or service dog access. Reception centers are public places. Emergency management professionals should accommodate individuals using a guide dog…

First of the weekly series for National Guide Dog Awareness Month, I’ll be providing some tips for emergency managers to check out and share with their networks. Guide dogs vs Canes: Individuals who are blind, visually-impaired or deafblind will either use a white cane or a guide dog to aid in their daily travels safely…

There are many programs that offer studies in the field of Disaster or Emergency Management. I am currently pursuing my Bachelor’s degree through the Justice Institute of British Columbia; however, there are many universities or colleges that provide opportunities that fit your needs. Below are a list of Canadian post-secondary institutions that offer, associate degree,…