Thank you for participating in ShakeOut!

Health Emergency Management BC (HEMBC) thanks all Vancouver Coastal Health employees for their enthusiastic participation in this year’s Great BC ShakeOut earthquake drill.

About 80,000 health care employees from across BC participated in the ShakeOut drill last Thursday at 10:20 a.m. to master the ‘drop, cover and hold on’ drill, which is the recommended course of action to take during an earthquake.

Mastering the drill is a great way to start earthquake preparedness. Now that you know the drill, here are a few steps to amp up your personal preparedness:
• Prepare an emergency kit
• Make an emergency plan
• Secure your workplace and home
• Take the emergency preparedness course on Learning Hub

Knowing what to do before, during and after an earthquake can help save lives and limit the damage caused by it. HEMBC, a PHSA program that provides emergency management leadership and support to BC’s health authorities, encourages all VCH employees to learn about emergency preparedness at work and at home.

We hope that this year’s ShakeOut drill gave you an opportunity to learn and practice earthquake preparedness. The drill may be over, but staying prepared requires a continual effort.

If you have any questions about emergency preparedness at your workplace, get in touch with your site’s HEMBC coordinator.

On Twitter? Follow HEMBC @BCHealthEM for emergency preparedness tips and resources that you can share with your network.