New Mark Your Calendars - May 6-12 is Emergency
Preparedness Week
Emergency Preparedness
Week (EP Week) is an annual event that takes
place each year during the first full week
of May. This national event is
coordinated by Public Safety Canada, in
close collaboration with the provinces and
territories and partners.
During Emergency
Preparedness Week, activities are organized
across Canada to raise awareness of the
importance of:
having an emergency kit;
making an emergency plan; and
identifying risks in the region.
These three simple steps can help
Canadians prepare for all types of
emergencies. In Delta, our schools run
earthquake drills complete with evacuation
and in some cases, full exercises including
post-earthquake site management and student
release.
As in previous years, the
district-wide emergency evacuation drill
will be conducted during EP Week. This
year, the drill will take place on the
afternoon of Friday,
May 11, 2012 in conjunction with the 6th Annual "Big One at One" to be held across the province.
At elementary
schools, the drill will include a full-scale
student release exercise. For more
information on the exercise, as well as
other EP tips for parents, click here.
For more information on what is planned
across Canada,
click here.
EP Clothing Drop Boxes Featured in Surrey Leader
Since May 2010, a number
of our school sites have been homes to
red clothing drop boxes proudly
displaying the Delta School District
logo. The School District,
participating schools and the Delta
Firefighters Charitable Society started
this initiative that would see
the society and each school share
revenues paid by a recycler for
the used books, clothing and shoes, who
in turn would sent the articles to
Africa. The funds received by each
school would go towards its Emergency
Preparedness program.
Click on the logo to
read the story posted by the Surrey
Leader newspaper 14 January 2011.
What is DeltaPrepared?
There are many hazards that could affect the Delta School District, due to its
geographical location and naturally occurring events, including but not limited
to the following:
earthquakes
floods
fires
hazardous material incidents
transportation incidents
utility failures
Following a major emergency or disaster, first responders (Delta Fire &
Emergency Services, BC Ambulance Service, etc.) may not be available for some
time during the initial phase. In fact, the Provincial Emergency Program
(PEP) advises that individuals and organizations should be prepared to carry on
without assistance for the first 72 hours. Provincial and municipal
governments have structures to respond to these emergencies, but not during this
early period. Being prepared should be the greatest asset a school or any other
district facility can have in facilitating its occupants' survival and
well-being.
DeltaPrepared is the strategy the Delta
School District is following to ensure that the District Emergency Plan is
complete and workable, and to enable all schools and central operations to
maintain a minimum level of preparedness in case of a natural disaster.
Current Weather
Conditions
Click on the above image to access complete weather
information and forecasts from Environment Canada
Drop, Cover and Hold vs. the "Triangle of Life"?
Click here
to read why the Delta School
District, as well as many other organizations,
subscribe to the "Drop, Cover and Hold" philosophy
during an earthquake as opposed to the "Triangle of
Life" as has been circulating over the e-mail wire
for the past number of years.
Places to Visit on this Site
District Framework - what structure is in place in
the Delta School District's Emergency Plan (committees,
reporting relationships)