Town lays out emergency business plan
By Chris Simon

Innisfil staff are preparing the municipality for an emergency situation, says the town's deputy fire chief.

And hopefully, if a disaster breaks out, town residents will be prepared to carry on their lives as normally as possible. That's the message Innisfil Fire and Rescue Service deputy chief Jim Ferry had for town councillors last week.

Ferry provided an update on the town's emergency preparedness, along with business hazard recovery and continuity plans for the municipality, during a committee meeting Wednesday evening. If approved by council, the plans would outline the roles and responsibilities town departments have, in restoring essential services during an emergency.

Those services are placed in priority, and make the transition back to normal town operations as smooth as possible, said Ferry.

"The business continuity and recovery plans have been developed so that the municipality may conduct business as close to normal throughout an emergency. Should we go through a disaster, it's expected the town as a whole would try to continue on with business as usual," he said. "They have been tailored as required to reflect 16 specific hazards. These plans are subject to change depending on the nature and severity of the emergency. It should be noted that while some departments may not be directly affected by the emergency, their services may be suspended so that the necessary staffing may be made available to assist with the emergency."

Ferry says the town is at risk of several types of emergencies, including smog and air quality problems, agriculture, blackouts, floods, fog, forest fires, events in the Greater Toronto Area, hazardous material transportation, lightning, pandemics, terrorism and vandalism, tornadoes, and wind and winter storms.

Since 2006, the town's Emergency Management Program committee has been developing disaster relief and communication plans, seeking provincial funding and hosting staff and media information sessions. They are expected to present council with a comprehensive emergency plan later this year, he said.

"The committee and their sub-committees have been diligently working to make the town a more disaster resilient community," said Ferry. "As a result, our local Emergency Management Ontario field officer continues to recognize that the town is a leader in emergency preparedness throughout the province."

Innisfil mayor Brian Jackson says an emergency plan is necessary, to help minimize the impact of a disaster within the township.

"It is an important document that does look at the responsibilities under different scenarios," he said. "It's appropriate to have this in place. Part of the town would be out of function, and there's other parts we really have to bring back to life in emergency circumstances."