Close Alert Banner
Learn More
Skip to Content

RMWB Logo RMWB Logo

Contact Us Mobile Site Menu
Contact Us
  • Business and Development
    • Procurement
    • Business Services and Support
    • Development and Planning
    • Downtown Revitalization
    • Flood Recovery
    • Maps
    • Permits and Resources
    • Safety Codes Permits
  • Bylaw and Animal Services
    • Animal Services
    • Bylaws
    • Community Standards
    • Parking
    • Report an Issue
    • Automated Traffic Enforcement
    • Taxi Cabs
  • Community Services and Social Support
    • Cemeteries
    • Grants and Funding
    • Homelessness and Housing
    • Seniors' Services and Programs
    • Social Support Services
    • Victim Services
  • Employment
    • Current Opportunities
    • Firefighter and Paramedic Recruitment
    • Human Resources
  • Events and Involvement
    • Boards and Committees
    • Event Permits
    • MAC Calendar
    • Mayor's Advisory Council on Youth (MACOY)
    • Townhalls
    • Winterplay 2021
    • Wood Buffalo Volunteers
  • Fire, Police and Emergency Services
    • 9-1-1
    • COVID-19 Information
    • Emergency Alerts
    • Emergency Medical Services
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Fire Codes and Permits
    • Fire Departments
    • Fire Prevention and Safety
    • FireSmart
    • Royal Canadian Mounted Police
    • Vulnerable Persons Registry
  • Garbage and Recycling
    • Collection Guidelines
    • Garbage and Recycling Calendar
    • Heavy Item Pickup
    • Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste Disposal
    • Landfill
    • Pet Waste
    • Recycling Depots
    • Rural Waste Collection
    • Yard Waste Collection
  • Indigenous and Rural Communities
    • Anzac
    • Conklin
    • Draper
    • Fort Chipewyan
    • Fort Fitzgerald
    • Fort McKay
    • Fort McMurray
    • Gregoire Lake Estates
    • Janvier
    • Saprae Creek Estates
    • Rural Bus Schedules and Fees
    • Truth and Reconciliation
  • Mayor, Council and Administration
    • Accountability and Transparency
    • Boards and Committees
    • Bylaws
    • Contact Us
    • Council
    • Elections
    • Mayor
    • Plans, Reports and Studies
    • Policies
  • Parks and Recreation
    • Parks and Facilities Map
    • Adopt-a-Rink
    • Adopt-a-Trail or Roadway
    • Communities in Bloom
    • Community Cleanup
    • Facility Rentals
    • Off-Highway Vehicles
    • Parks, Trails and Green Spaces
    • Trees
  • Property Taxes
    • Assessments
    • Change of Address Form
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Non-Profit Organization Tax Exemptions
    • Paying Property Taxes
    • Property Tax Sale
    • Rural Small Business Tax Class
    • School Support
    • Tax Rates
    • Tax Refund Requests
  • Pulse
  • Roads and Construction
    • Automated Traffic Enforcement
    • Construction Map
    • Draper Slope Stability Reports
    • Parking
    • Route/Haul Permits
    • Snow Plowing and Removal
    • Street Sweeping
    • Winter Roads
  • Transit
    • Bike and Ride
    • Fares and Passes
    • Routes and Schedules
    • Rural Bus Schedules and Fees
    • School Transit Service
    • Specialized Transit
    • Statutory Holidays Schedule
    • Transit News and Alerts
  • Utilities and Water
    • Billing
    • Bulk Water
    • Change of Address Form
    • Commercial Services
    • Fat, Oil and Grease
    • Open or Close a Utility Account
    • Responsible Sewer Use
    • Rural Water & Sewer Service
    • Sewer Backups
    • Water Conservation
    • Water Metering
    • Water Quality
HomeFire, Police and Emergency ServicesEmergency Preparedness
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn Pinterest
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Email this page Email

Emergency Preparedness

Knowing the different types of risks that surround us, how to react when an emergency impacts us, and having a plan for each can help you and your family get through as safe and unaffected as possible.

Know the risks. Plan. Get a kit.

Basic preparedness actions

  • Learn what to do in an emergency by checking out hazards
  • Be aware
    • Listen to the local media
    • Sign up for Alberta Emergency Alert
    • Tune into the RMWB website, Twitter or Facebook
    • Arrange with neighbours to tell one another of an emergency notification
  • Make a household emergency plan
  • Make an emergency kit or “go bag”
  • Post emergency phone numbers by every phone
  • Be familiar with the emergency plans in your workplace and your child's school or daycare
  • Leave backup care arrangements with the school or daycare in case you can't get there right away in an emergency
  • Learn first aid and CPR
  • Check your insurance:
    • Coverage is available for most major disasters including fire, lightning strikes, windstorms, hail, tornadoes, and others
    • Make sure your policy includes sewer back-up insurance
    • Keep a detailed paper and/or video inventory of your home or business and keep it in your emergency kit
    • Keep all your important documents in a safe location that is easily available
    • Know what your insurance company requires, should you need to make a claim
    • Be aware that government disaster recovery programs will not compensate for damage and loss for which insurance was readily and reasonably available before the disaster occurred
  • Audit your home:
    • Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
    • Make sure no flammable materials are kept near electrical equipment or your furnace
    • Check for frayed electrical cords or overloaded circuits
    • Identify all potential exits
    • Learn how to turn off your water and electricity safely
    • Locate safe rooms in your home

Household emergency plan

Emergencies can occur at anytime, anywhere and affect essential services. This forces you to use your own resources for food, water, first aid, transportation, and shelter.

Just like organizations and municipalities, individual and families should prepare too.

Base your plan on the kind of emergencies your region encounters and sit down with your family to discuss what would happen in different situations.

  • Maintain a list of the family's required medications, prescribed dosages, and the names and telephone numbers of family doctors
  • If you use a pacemaker or other medical equipment, keep the make and model, serial number and other important information with you
  • Keep irreplaceable items like family photo albums where they can be quickly accessed if you must leave in a hurry
  • Keep important family papers in a portable, fireproof and waterproof container (passports, birth certificates, insurance documents, etc.,)
  • Discuss what to do if you and your family members are at different locations when a disaster happens
  • Plan for how your family will stay in contact if separated by a disaster or emergency
  • Pick two meeting places, one near your home and one outside your neighbourhood
  • Meet with your neighbours and plan how you could work together
  • Create a list of contact information for close family, friends, and caregivers
  • Identify an out-of-town contact person
  • Conduct safety drills
  • Write down and exercise your plan at least once a year (make sure everyone has it)

Emergency kit (“go bag”)

Basic items

  • Water – two litres of water per person per day (include small bottles)
  • Food – canned, package or non-perishable food for each member of the family (include a manual can opener)
  • Wind up or battery-powered flashlight (and extra batteries)
  • Wind up or battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
  • First aid kit
  • Extra keys for your car and house
  • Cash, travelers' cheques and change
  • Important family documents

Additional items

  • Two additional litres of water per person per day for cooking and cleaning
  • Candles and matches or lighter (place in a sturdy container)
  • Change of clothing and footwear for each household member
  • Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each household member
  • Toiletries and personal hygiene items
  • Hand sanitizer, toilet paper and garbage bags
  • Prepaid phone card and/or mobile phone charger
  • Pet food and supplies
  • Infant formula, baby food and supplies
  • Activities for children like books, puzzles or toys
  • Prescription medication and medical equipment
  • Utensils, plates and cups
  • Household chlorine bleach or water purifying tablets
  • Basic tools (hammer, pliers, wrench, screwdrivers, work gloves, and pocketknife)
  • Small fuel-operated stove and fuel
  • Whistle
  • Duct tape

Vehicle kit

  • Sleeping bags or blankets
  • Small shovel, scraper, and snowbrush
  • Roadmaps
  • Sand, salt, or non-clumping kitty litter
  • Tow rope
  • Anti-freeze/windshield washer fluid
  • Jumper cables
  • Warning light or road flares
  • Traction mat
  • Compass
  • Roll of paper towels
  • Axe or hatchet
  • Methyl hydrate (for fuel line and windshield de-icing)
  • All-purpose fire extinguisher (rated A-B-C)

Shelter-in-place additional items

  • Plastic sheeting (to seal windows, vents, and doors)
  • Duct tape
  • Towels (to block the bottom of the doors)
  • Garbage bags
  • An alternative heat source and an adequate supply of fuel (make sure there is adequate ventilation)

Resources

  • St. John Ambulance
  • Get Prepared
  • Alberta Emergency Management Agency
  • Public Safety Canada – Emergency Management
  • Canadian Red Cross
Fire, Police and Emergency Services
  • 9-1-1
  • COVID-19 Information
    Toggle Section COVID-19 Information Menu
    • Face Covering Information
  • Emergency Alerts
  • Emergency Medical Services
    Toggle Section Emergency Medical Services Menu
    • Firefighter and Paramedic Recruitment
    • Public Access to Defibrillation (PAD) Program
  • Emergency Preparedness
    Toggle Section Emergency Preparedness Menu
    • Business Continuity
    • Emergency Management
    • Emergency Social Services
    • Evacuations and Shelter-in-Place
    • Hazards
      Toggle Section Hazards Menu
      • Power and water outages
      • River Breakup
      • Severe Storms and Weather
      • Wildfires
  • Fire Codes and Permits
    Toggle Section Fire Codes and Permits Menu
    • Recreational Fires and Fire Pits
  • Fire Departments
    Toggle Section Fire Departments Menu
    • Firefighter and Paramedic Recruitment
  • Fire Prevention and Safety
  • FireSmart
    Toggle Section FireSmart Menu
    • FireSmart Projects
    • Interpretive Trail
  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police
    Toggle Section Royal Canadian Mounted Police Menu
    • Crime Map
    • Online Crime Reporting
  • Vulnerable Persons Registry

Contact us

Never miss an update!

Subscribe to this page to get notified when this page has updated content.

Notify Me
Services
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo footer logo

Contact Us

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
9909 Franklin Avenue
Fort McMurray Alberta T9H 2K4

Phone: 780-743-7000

Toll free: 1-800-973-9663

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Website Resources

  • Access to Information and Privacy
  • Pay Bills Online
  • Sitemap
  • Social Media
  • Website Feedback

Copyright © 2020

Designed by eSolutionsGroup

Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.