Alberta Government to conduct simulated disaster response

As the province holds disaster response training on February 26, all Albertans are reminded they should have and practice their own emergency plans.

“It’s vital that all of us, whether we are talking about the province, a city of a million people or our own families, have emergency plans in place,” said Doug Griffiths, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “The Alberta government reviews its emergency plans regularly, and this is something that we should all do as individuals, families and communities.”
The province puts its emergency plans and procedures under the microscope four times a year, but the upcoming training is the largest and most complex exercise since 2008.


The exercise will simulate the government response to a tornado touching down on a hot summer day in July, but does not include any live action components. Through a simulation, the training will give the Alberta Emergency Management Agency and other government officials opportunities to practice and assess their emergency plans.

Municipalities and industrial partners, including Edmonton, Strathcona County, Bruderheim, the Capital Region Emergency Preparedness Partnership, Northeast Region Community Awareness Emergency Response, CN Rail, Esso and Dow Chemical are participating in the exercise. There will be no public component or involvement during the training.

More information about emergency preparedness is available on the Alberta Emergency Management Agency’s website at www.aema.alberta.ca.