The Province and Emergency Management BC are planning an earthquake and tsunami response exercise for June 7-10, 2016, in Port Alberni called Exercise Coastal Response.

To make this exercise as real as possible for the teams involved, we’re asking for the public’s help! This is a great opportunity to be up close and personal with international urban search and rescue and emergency social services teams.

We are looking for people to volunteer in two categories:

• Medical patients: You will work with first responders and Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR). You will be treated to a medical makeover with movie quality makeup artists and given a patient care script to follow during the course of your treatment.
• Emergency social service (ESS) clients: You will work with ESS teams located at reception and housing centres and represent those in need of shelter, food and water.

At the end of your volunteer service you will receive a letter of recognition for your role in the exercise.

We are not only looking for people, but material as well. Our volunteer co-ordination team would like to hear about anything that can enhance the realism of the exercise including: boats, trucks or even junk that can help with Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) training.

For further clarification on what we are specifically looking for in terms of material and volunteer support, please call 250 720-2709 or email portalberni2016@gmail.com to connect with the volunteer co-ordinators. We look forward to working with you to help prepare our province for a disaster and make Exercise Coastal Response 2016 a success!

Quote:

Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness Naomi Yamamoto –

“A plan is only as good as the paper it’s written on unless you exercise it, test it and improve it. During this exercise in Port Alberni, the Province will work closely with our First Nations and local authority partners to show how B.C. will support a coastal community in the event of an earthquake and tsunami. The Province has taken significant strides to progress our earthquake preparedness, and it’s safe to say we now lead the nation.”

Quick Facts:

• Hosted in Port Alberni, Exercise Coastal Response is based on a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hitting off the shore of Southwestern B.C. as a result of a rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The earthquake will also generate a tsunami impacting the west coast of Vancouver Island minutes after the initial shock.
• The exercise will bring together some key stakeholder groups, such as different levels of government, various jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S., and a number of provincial ministries, First Nations, Crown corporations and first responders.
• The actual exercise will be a mix of real-time activities and simulated situations involving certain functions, such as emergency operations, logistics, medical care, mass care, public information and operational communications.
• Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) teams are a special operations task forces that rescues survivors from major structural collapses and other hazards during floods, earthquakes or other disasters. The exercise will simulate conditions that first response and emergency social support teams will face after a significant seismic event, better preparing them to assist local communities and those around the world when disaster strikes.

Learn More:

Exercise Coastal Response: http://bit.ly/1TgDcEw

BC Earthquake Immediate Response Plan: http://bit.ly/1ZnXswM

PreparedBC: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/preparedbc

Basic emergency kit supplies: http://bit.ly/1JTPKOy

Household preparedness and neighbourhood preparedness guides: http://bit.ly/1OHIM6P

Emergency Info BC, B.C.’s official channel for emergency alerts: http://ow.ly/WCDbj

Follow us on Twitter @EmergencyInfoBC (twitter.com) and @PreparedBC (twitter.com)

Media Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250 356-8241

Volunteer Contacts:

Terri-Ann Wynams and Shellie Lyle
250 720-2709
portalberni2016@gmail.com