Emergency Management for Security

How prepared are you for an emergency or disaster at your work place? Do you truly understand your role during an incident? Are you knowledgeable enough to take over your supervisor’s role? Have you ever seen your site emergency response plan?

Security personnel can encounter an emergency situation regardless of the site they work at. Fire and flood are the most common that your may come across however each site with have a unique array of hazards. By learning some of the basics of emergency management you will be better able to respond to an incident and you will be able to provide sound guidance to others.

Every province has an emergency management agency. Most agencies provide training to residents. A great place to start is by taking a Basic Emergency Management (BEM) course. These courses are often free and some are delivered by distance or online education. Alberta is currently reviewing their BEM but when it is finished it will be available for free online. Ontario and BC both offer BEM in a class room setting.

Once you have taken BEM I recommend the 100 level of Incident Command System (ICS) or Incident Management System (IMS). These programs are a nice introduction to the organisational structure that is utilised during an incident. Ontario and Alberta both offer these programs for free online.

Another class that I recommend is the awareness and basic levels of CBRN. These classes give you an introduction to symptoms of a CBRN incident and how to respond. The awareness and basic classes are available online for free at: Canadian Emergency Management College

Don’t wait for your agency to provide this training. Show your professionalism and take it yourself. I highly recommend that everyone in a security role completes these intro level classes. They can be done quickly and best of all they are usually free.

If you end up wanting to take more education in emergency management there are many great resources. Your provincial and municipal emergency management agencies will be excellent resources. Local emergency response agencies will also be able to provide guidance. Formal education can be taken at a number of facilities (I highly recommend the NAIT diploma program).

Below is a list of the provincial emergency management agencies (except Quebec):

Alberta: Alberta Emergency Management Agency
B.C: Emergency Management B.C.
Manitoba: Province of Manitoba | Intergovernmental Affairs | Emergency Measures Organization
New Brunswick: Emergency Measures Organization - New Brunswick
Newfoundland: Fire and Emergency Services - Newfoundland and Labrador
NWT: :: GNWT - Municipal and Community Affairs - Territorial Emergency Management ::
Nova Scotia: emo.gov.ns.ca
Nunavut: Nunavut Emergency Management | Department of Community and Government Services
Ontario: Emergency Management Ontario::Home
PEI: Department of Justice and Public Safety: Emergency Measures Organization
Saskatchewan: SaskEMO - Corrections, Public Safety and Policing - Government of Saskatchewan
Yukon: Emergency Measures Organization - Department of Community Services- Government of Yukon

Stay safe,

Chris

*Please note that the opinions reflected in these articles are mine and mine alone. They are based upon my education, training and experience. They in no way reflect the opinions of my agency, ProtectionServices.ca or the site administrator. Always consult with your agency instructor and check your policy prior to attempting any new procedures or techniques.*