Amherstburg Fire Department part of Emergency Preparedness Week events

Members of the Amherstburg Fire Department, including Chief Michael Mio (centre), were at Firehouse Subs Sunday for an International Firefighters Day event. This is also Emergency Preparedness Week.

To kick off Emergency Preparedness Week, the Amherstburg Fire Department participated in two community events last Sunday, aimed at helping residents in the Town of Amherstburg prepare for emergencies.

Fire chief Michael Mio said “one of the most important tools the town can use to communicate with residents is with Amherstburg Alerts.” Mio said that by signing up, “residents will receive critical notifications about local emergencies such as severe storms, tornadoes, flooding, and more. We encourage everyone to sign up at www.amherstburg.ca/Alerts.”

There will be a test of the Amherstburg Alert system this Friday (May 9) at 4 p.m.

Mio said the focus of Emergency Preparedness Week is to raise awareness about the importance of being ready before an emergency happens. 

“Half of our team was on Boblo Island speaking with residents about preparing a 72-Hour Emergency Kit—an essential resource to help families through extended emergencies. Common risks in our area include tornadoes, ice and snow storms, flooding, and prolonged power outages,” he said. “We also partnered with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit to ensure island residents had up-to-date Potassium Iodide (KI) pills. These pills are distributed as a precaution for those living near a nuclear facility. The Health Unit reminds residents to check the expiry dates on their current supply. Expired pills can be replaced at the Libro Centre or Town Hall. For more information, please visit www.wechu.org/nuclear/ptassium-iodide-ki-tablets-facts.” 

The Amherstburg events were organized by Emergency Planning Officer Liberty Fallon (and Fire Prevention Officer Mario Fiorito. 

“We were also joined on Boblo by Dan Metcalf, the Emergency Measures Coordinator for the County of Essex, who helped share valuable preparedness information on behalf of the County of Essex,” he said. “Our firefighters also took the opportunity to speak with residents about the importance of working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Despite the cold and rainy weather, residents enjoyed hot coffee while touring our fire trucks and learning about our ice and water rescue equipment.”

Firefighters were also at Firehouse Subs for the “Touch a Truck” event as Sunday was also International Firefighters’ Day. Mio said through its Public Safety of Canada Foundation, Firehouse Subs plays a vital role in supporting Canadian communities by raising funds to enhance public safety and donating critical equipment and resources to local fire departments and first responders across the country. 

“The crews were showing off our equipment as well as answering questions on fire safety,” he said. “We thank all who came out to support and engage in emergency preparedness. Stay tuned for more tips on emergency preparedness this week.”

Amherstburg Fire Department part of Emergency Preparedness Week events

Special to the RTT