Police, fire and EMS crews converge on Hawrelak for Get Ready in the Park
Adrienne Lamb, Rick Bremness | CBC News | Posted: May 12, 2018 2:30 PM | Last Updated: May 12, 2018
Opportunity for people to reflect on how they would cope with a major disruption, deputy fire chief says
This week, millions of Canadians received an emergency test alert on their mobile phones, but then again, millions did not.
"That's why we test," said Rob Squire, Edmonton deputy fire chief of planning and the office of emergency management.
"That's the purpose of a test. Let's find out what the bugs are, where the rub points are, and let's come up with a solution."
Squire believes the alarm and text message received by your phone will transform how citizens react to an emergency warning.
"Everybody who has a phone connected to an LTE network in a specific area will receive the alert," Squire said.
"I've read some studies where they say up to 95 per cent of people are within arms length of a cell phone at all times."
- Alert Ready to send emergency messages to smartphones
- Glitches reported as emergency alert testing resumes across Canada
The test took place during Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada, a week that Squires will cap off with Get Ready in the Park at Hawrelak Park on Saturday.
The 11th annual event will feature 70 first-response agencies in a free, family-friendly event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"Fire trucks, police cars, helicopters, you name it, it will be here," Squire said.
"It's also a chance for people to take a pause and reflect upon how they would cope with their families and their pets in the event there was a disruption in their day-to-day lives."
You can see more from Hawrelak Park this week on Our Edmonton on Saturday at 10 a.m. Sunday at noon and Monday at 11 a.m. on CBC TV.