The City of Yellowknife has released its updated community emergency plan and evacuation plan.
During a meeting on Monday, Elizabeth Thompson, the city’s manager of emergency preparedness, provided an update on Yellowknife’s emergency program to councillors.
She said eight of 26 recommendations in KPMG’s review of how the city responded to last year’s wildfire season are now complete, including updating the plans.
“The development of this plan is not a one-time project. We don’t intend to just put it in a binder and stick it up on a shelf,” she said of the community emergency plan. “All of the city’s emergency planning documents are quote unquote, ‘living documents,’ and therefore always undergoing continuous improvement and updating.”
Thompson said the community emergency plan provides an overview of the city’s approach to emergencies. It provides best practices to follow and guides operations and coordination to respond and recover from major emergencies and disasters.
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The evacuation plan is intended to guide the city’s efforts to manage threats that may result in a partial or full evacuation.
It includes an overview of the city’s evacuation steps as well as guidance on communications, vulnerable populations, and pets and animals.
After Yellowknife was evacuated for three weeks last summer, Mayor Rebecca Alty said the city did not have a comprehensive hazard-specific plan to support a full evacuation.
Craig MacLean, the city’s director of public safety, said on Monday that the city next needs to focus on educating residents about personal preparedness. He said education, training and exercises are also needed to ensure the emergency plans are feasible and meet the needs of the city.
The city encouraged residents to visit its website for more information about emergencies.
