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Emergency shelter exercise in Langford accepts both pets and people

Unique event gets West Shore residents of all sorts ready in case of disaster
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Brian Gay Hernandez collects his belongings after completing the drill. (Joel Tansey/B次元官网网址 Gazette staff)

In the case of an emergency, Langford Emergency Support Services hopes to have you covered.

Volunteers and members of the public, which included families, couples and even pets, participated in an overnight event this past weekend which sought to better prepare participants in the event of a natural disaster.

B次元官网网址淓vacueesB次元官网网址 numbered roughly 25 and ranged from the age of four to 70-something according to the servicesB次元官网网址 director Tom Burchill.

They spent the night indoors at the South Vancouver Island Rangers clubhouse in order to simulate a real evacuation.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a diverse population that weB次元官网网址檝e had in here,B次元官网网址 he told the Gazette following the completion of the stay.

Two instructors from the Justice Institute of British Columbia were on hand to observe and offer feedback on the drill.

The Langford group, which numbers 68 volunteers, could set up at any number of facilities around the city in the event of a disaster.

B次元官网网址淭his (setup) would be exactly what we would use in a real disaster,B次元官网网址 Burchill noted. B次元官网网址淭his event is more to train my crew.B次元官网网址

But the event also gave members of the public a good idea of what to expect should they be evacuated from their homes.

Megan and Eric Seiferling signed up for the event in order to get a better sense of what emergency protocol would look like.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 part of the emergency response team at my work B次元官网网址 itB次元官网网址檚 good to see what people in the volunteer community are doing. You know these programs exist you just donB次元官网网址檛 know what it looks like,B次元官网网址 Eric said.

B次元官网网址淭hey provided us with some information to make sure we have our own bags ready to go and grab when itB次元官网网址檚 time to go,B次元官网网址 Megan added.

The couple also learned how to prepare a kit for their dog Douglas as well. Uniquely, the overnight stay included the participation of cats and dogs who stayed in a seperate shelter along with their owners.

Janet Camerey, director for the South Island Pets Team, a branch of emergency support services focusing on owners and their pets, hopes the weekend served as an educational tool for owners on how to prepare kits for their furry companions.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of pets are on special diets and special medications just like humans, so packing up a kit for your pet is great so that when you show up youB次元官网网址檝e got some food for them that theyB次元官网网址檙e used to,B次元官网网址 she said.

Burchill noted that the organization is also prepared to take in exotic pets, such as lizards and snakes.

B次元官网网址淚t was a fun event and it went well,B次元官网网址 he said.

joel.tansey@goldstreamgazette.com





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