“Yeah, I feel really good having emergency kits at home, in my car and under my desk,” says Ita Hyland, a coordinator with Health Emergency Management BC. “It’s not just for that big earthquake…it could be for that delayed ferry in the cold or one of those smaller emergencies that happen.”

“It can make the difference of getting through the incident or having a scary experience,” she adds.

Emergency Preparedness Week takes place from May 4th to the 10th and is a time for British Columbians to think about how ready they are for emergencies of all sizes.

Severe weather, widespread power outages, flooding and earthquakes are just a few of the hazards that can affect British Columbians from year to year, season to season.

In her grab-and-go emergency kit at work, Ita has the basics like a flashlight, blanket, toothbrush, radio, food and water, but also personal items like photos of family and friends to help her get through any difficult situations.

“Working in health care, we are in a unique position when it comes to emergencies,” says Ita. “We may need the kit because some sort of weather event might not let us go home, but we might need a kit because we need to keep working to help other people affected by an incident. We’re not like a convenience store that can shutter its windows – we need to be open all the time, especially during emergencies.”

How to prepare

Personal Preparedness: Put together your own kit or contact your Emergency Management Coordinator for a Personal Preparedness presentation.

Making a Family Plan: For more information about personal preparedness and developing your family plan visit Public Safety Canada’s Get Prepared website (http://www.getprepared.gc.ca).

Purchasing Disaster Kits: During the month of May F.A.S.T Ltd, Braidner Survival Kits, and Krasicki & Ward are offering health staff 15% off emergency kits.

Please note shipping options: either pick up your kit from the supplier’s office or ask the supplier to send the kit(s) to your home (shipping charges will apply). To purchase emergency supply kits please visit the EP Week page on VCH Connect

Upcoming open houses

Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) are centralized locations for staff to convene and coordinate response activities, resources and the flow of information.  Please visit yours at an upcoming open house to learn more:

• Coastal EOC @ LGH – May 21st, 12:00pm – 1:30pm
• Richmond EOC @ Richmond Hospital – May 8th, 10am – 2pm
• Vancouver Acute EOC @ VGH – May 21st, 12:00pm – 1:30pm
• Vancouver Community EOC @ VGH – May 21st, 12:00pm – 1:30pm
• Providence Health Care EOC @ St. Paul’s Hospital – May 7th, 12:00 – 1:00

Pretty easy

Ita says it’s actually not a big deal to put together these kits.

“It doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming,” she says emphatically. “You’d be surprised how much of this stuff you already have around the house and you just need to gather it in one place and/or in a bag.”

More information

For more information please visit the Health Emergency Management BC page on VCH Connect.

Poll: Do you have a kit? Let us know!

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