'Emergency did not exist,' Amherstburg fire defends actions during tornado warning

Councillors ripped into the the town's fire department's decision not to activate any emergency alerts during a tornado warning for the region in September. 

Environment Canada issued a tornado warning on Sept. 25 for Windsor-Essex, with a specific warning for Amherstburg about dangerous thunderstorms around 9:10 p.m.

Days later, Environment Canada said a probable tornado had touched down in the area causing minimal damage — including the destruction of one of the town's signs. 

No alerts were enacted at the municipal level, according to a report prepared by the chief of the Amherstburg Fire Department. 

Chief Bruce Montone wrote that "an emergency did not exist nor did it occur," adding the fire department did not receive a single call for emergency services the night a probable tornado touched down. 

Report faced criticism

"I'm really not happy with this report at all," said Coun. Diane Pouget, who spent that September night with her family hunkered in the basement. 

She said the sirens that were installed in case of a nuclear emergency at a nearby power plant should have been activated as a warning to residents.

"This could have been a very bad situation," said Pouget, who proposed a motion to send this report to the incoming council during budget considerations. The motion was passed.

Coun. Joan Courtney said she was also disappointed in the report. 

"Who would I believe? There's nothing coming out from the town," said Courtney, who said local and U.S. media were reporting about the potential of an emergency situation in town. 

There was not mass damage, no injury or worse, and no emergency calls for help were received.- Bruce Montone, Amherstburg Fire Chief

Coun. Leo Meloche asked if the town could subscribe to the American National Weather Service for these kinds of warnings. 

Montone said that's something that the department could inquire about. 

No 'imminent threat'

"The challenge we have is our Canadian authorities and provincial authorities did not advise us of an imminent threat or advisory," said Montone in response to criticism from council. 

"The sirens reliably advise 268 households in the primary zone ... when there is no background noise and when the wind is blowing in the traditional direction," said Montone. 

The report said the sirens are part of the Amherstburg Nuclear Emergency Response Plan, which requires activation by the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre or in the case of a nuclear emergency. 

"Protocol be damned when you've got a possible tornado that's going to be coming," said Courtney, who said she did not receive an alert on her phone about the warning from Environment Canada. 

"Common sense overrides protocol," she said. 

Sirens inadequate: report

That same report called the sirens, which sit at five locations across the town, inadequate. 

"Residents and staff have reported regularly that sirens cannot or have not been heard, confirming the large inadequacy of the system," wrote Montone.

Montone wrote that emergency crews visited every neighbourhood in the community "for the explicit purpose of: determining what had occurred."

One potential solution is the Amherstburg Alert system, which council created to allow for specific messages be sent out to residents in emergency situations. But it was not used at the time of the tornado warning. 

However, alerts were sent out from Environment Canada alerting residents to the dangerous conditions in the region. 

Montone said the September event was not a significant emergency and the Emergency Operation Centre didn't have to be opened.

"There was not mass damage, no injury or worse, and no emergency calls for help were received."