Back to NewsEnhanced measures to protect staff and temporary plans in place to maintain core services
At the Jan. 11 Council meeting, Regional Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management, Chief Jody Butz provided an update on the Municipal response to the current COVID-19 situation in the region.
“Like most organizations in the country, our workforce is being impacted by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and the highly transmissible Omicron variant,” said Chief Jody Butz. “The health, well-being and safety of staff is a top priority as we make temporary adjustments to ensure core services continue to be delivered and are available to community members. While there haven’t been any recent service disruptions, temporary adjustments are being made and considered proactively to ensure the Municipality continues to be well-positioned to deliver vital and critical services.”
Business continuity plans in place
The Municipality has robust business continuity plans and processes for assessing, evaluating and adjusting work to deliver core services, such as winter maintenance, public transit, waste management and emergency services. These plans guide temporary operational changes in response to staffing shortages due to COVID-19.
At this time, there aren’t any new service changes or disruptions to announce. If adjustments are made that impact service delivery, community members will be notified as soon as possible.
Regional Emergency Services
Protecting residents from a fire or providing emergency medical services are vital to keeping communities safe. The Municipality is committed to providing a high standard for these services throughout and after the pandemic.
Cross-trained employees from Regional Emergency Services are available to fill critical roles and temporary shift adjustments have been made to ensure staff continue to be available to provide emergency services. Currently, response times and the number of fire trucks and ambulances available are being maintained.
Safe work environment for staff
The Municipality continues to implement measures to help reduce COVID-19 workplace transmission and protect staff members. These measures include:
- Daily COVID-19 screening
- In-depth contact tracing procedures and rapid response plans
- Physical distancing protocols
- Mandatory face covering procedures
- Regular cleaning and disinfecting of facilities and work areas
- A working from home directive
- Mandatory COVID-19 training
All staff members are expected to follow the current isolation requirements and all public health measures. The Municipality is not allowing essential workers to return to work before their isolation period is over, even though exemptions are permitted under the current Public Health Orders.
Follow all province-wide public health measures
Everyone is reminded to continue to do their part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by following all public health measures, including washing and sanitizing hands often, practicing physical distancing, wearing a face covering and staying home while sick.
The response to the COVID-19 Omicron variant remains a fluid situation and information can change quickly and often. AHS remains the trusted authority and primary information source for updates on COVID-19. Factual, up-to date information will continue to be available at alberta.ca/covid19.
Find more information about the Municipal response to COVID-19, service adjustments, and the Regional Emergency Coordination Centre’s local community updates at rmwb.ca/covid19.
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