VICTORIA -This week the Province of British Columbia joined forces with the State of Washington in a simulated catastrophic earthquake exercise. The goal of the exercise was to better equip both jurisdictions to plan and provide life-saving emergency response to their citizens.

This was a historic opportunity. Both Premier Christy Clark and I were pleased to participate, leveraging the Pacific Northwest Emergency Management Arrangement (PNEMA) that until now, had not been put to use in live cross-border collaborative emergency response exercises since its establishment in 1996.

In recent years we have seen how a disaster in a far away country like Japan can affect us physically, here at home in British Columbia. The gravity of impacts could be even more significant, urgent and catastrophic if that disaster is right next door in a neighbouring province or state.

That is why the Province, through Emergency Management BC, plans and practises for all hazards. Earthquakes are one of over 57 emergencies we prepare for. B.C.'s emergency officials train and we participate in simulations like the two day earthquake exercise with Washington State, but it's also why we urge personal responsibility for families in B.C., encouraging them to create an emergency plan and an emergency kit. These two things (a plan and kit) are important to have if a disaster strikes.

Six emergency management officials from the Province went to Camp Murray to participate in the exercise hosted by Washington State. In simulated response, the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre on Vancouver Island was activated and teams of other government employees participated as though the earthquakes off Puget Sound were real.

The lessons learned through this collaborative emergency management exercise are applicable to many emergency situations. Because of the geographic proximity of Washington State, we are well poised as neighbours to bring a swift hand-of-help if mutual aid is required. We must share information and resources, knowledge and experience, and the exercise we participated in provides a forum for that exchange, as well as testing the channels we have in place prior to needing it.

Cross jurisdictional arrangements are not new. We have similar agreements with the Yukon and Alberta and at this time of year, we share search and rescue and firefighting resources all the way to Ottawa and Quebec.

When urgency, capacity and specialized resources are needed, it's important to have strong relationships in place and the channels of delivery already articulated, so that we can quickly share what we know and have with neighbouring provinces and states.

This week, we also collaborated with our counterparts on cross-border organized crime at the B.C.-Washington Joint Law Enforcement Forum. We brought senior law enforcement officials from both sides of the border together to determine further enhancements to information sharing and opportunities to strengthen our common approach.

Despite the hundreds of firearms seized, millions of dollars in criminal proceeds forfeited, drugs confiscated and gangsters arrested, charged and convicted, no amount of violence in our communities is acceptable. We will continue to tackle criminal enterprise in the same borderless way it tries to thrive.

Canada and the U.S. have a long history of working together in emergency situations. These exercises help strengthen public safety both north and south of the border.

Every effort in improving cross-border co-ordination and co-operation in emergency management helps strengthen B.C.'s readiness to respond. The WA earthquake exercise tests our collective emergency response mechanisms as well as the cross border partnership with Emergency Management BC, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with Washington State emergency officials and to share our combined knowledge and expertise.

Testing our plans helps strengthen our mutual response mechanisms, better expedites the resilience of both jurisdictions and helps safeguard our citizens in the event of a real emergency.