Hampton launches Vulnerable Person Registry as part of emergency alert service

The Town of Hampton has launched a registry for people who may require special assistance during emergencies, such as evacuation orders or power outages.

The Vulnerable Person Registry is designed for those with physical, mental or medical challenges and it could serve as a model for other municipalities in the province, said Keith Copeland, co-ordinator of the Hampton Emergency Measures Organization.

Right now, the town doesn't know how many vulnerable people live in the community, what their vulnerabilities are or how to contact them, said Copeland.

With the new registry, EMO officials will be able to better assist them in an emergency situation, he said.

"When they're thought to be at risk, we can share their particular information with the relevant organizations and agencies that are going to be helping us during this emergency so that those folks aren't left behind, that they aren't left out, that they're part of our planning."

People with mobility issues, people with dementia or autism, and people who have oxygen concentrators or a home dialysis machine are just a few examples of people who can self-register on the town's website or be registered by a caregiver.

The registry, an initiative of Mayor Ken Chorley, has been in the works for a number of years, but the challenge was how to safely gather and protect such personal information, said Copeland. 

The town approached Sentinel Systems, which specializes in emergency management, and asked, 'Hey can can you work this into our town emergency alert system?'

Any municipality could use system

"And so they built us a subset, if you will, a subcategory of registrations" on the secure database residents currently use to sign up for alert notifications about emergency situations, he said.

Once someone has registered, EMO will contact the individual to discuss what emergency plans they already have in place and assist them with their 72-hour emergency plan, said Copeland.

In the event of an emergency, EMO will be able to contact them directly to say, "This is the type of emergency we're experiencing, this is what you should do, this is what you should prepare for," he said.

"One of the things that we're particularly proud of here is that … every municipality in the province now has access to that," said Copeland. A municipality in Quebec has also picked it up for next year, he said.

"There's a broad appeal for this because a lot of people are talking about this and wondering how can we protect these folks?"