By Sarah Rae

Practice makes perfect when it comes to emergency response: N.B. fire chief

Aug 5, 2016 | 5:00 PM

The city’s Emergency Operations Centre has been humming along since the oil spill began and staff members are still prepared to tackle any incident head-on according to the local fire chief.

Residents not involved in emergency response are unable to see inside the centre during an emergency, but Fire Chief Albert Headrick said it’s important the public knows what the city does when responding to an incident.

An Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been set up at the North Battleford Airport since 2011, and Fire Chief Albert Headrick said the city is constantly working to keep staff updated on emergency procedures.

The centre was most recently activated after the Husky Energy oil spill into the North Saskatchewan River. It’s still technically active, but because it’s now considered a low-level incident, the office is not as busy.

Anyone who comes to the EOC has to sign in and put on a vest, which are divided into positions with corresponding colours for operations, logistics and planning.

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The main room is set up with tables, maps and several kinds of technology to assist with planning during an emergency. Headrick said there are three or four different back-ups in the case of a power outage or if technology fails during a crisis.

Responsibilities and resources for each position are laid out on paper, in case of technological issues and because there have been only a few major incidents it’s not easy to remember everything required. Headrick said even with all of the training and regular drills city staff go through to be prepared for an emergency, it’s safer to have everything written down.

“I can’t remember everything up here, I’m not an encyclopedia, so I prefer to have stuff laid out for everybody to understand what their roles and responsibilities are. I think that’s crucial to the success of the operation,” he said.

Headrick said updates and training have aligned the system in North Battleford as much as possible with systems elsewhere in Saskatchewan, like Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Regina and Moose Jaw. This is essential in emergencies when outside help is required, he said, so there isn’t a steep learning curve if people from other cities come to help.

Headrick said staff members received training as recently as June and there will be more as soon as the city gets a breather from the oil spill.

“We try to plan ahead and we’re pretty good at it, but in order to keep that expertise you have to practice,” he said. “Practice makes perfect.”

Sarah Rae is battlefordsNOW’s court and crime reporter. She can be reached at Sarah.Rae@jpbg.ca or tweet her @sarahjeanrae.