FORT SASKATCHEWAN, Alta. – A new survey shows the majority of people living in Alberta’s ‘Industrial Heartland’ don’t know what to do if hazardous material was released into the atmosphere.
The Northeast Region Community Awareness Emergency Response team said 69 per cent of the 400 people surveyed felt they didn’t know how to react if asked to ‘shelter in place.’
Sheltering in place means going inside, closing windows and doors and turning off fans or air conditioners drawing air from outside.
The safety measure is designed to keep people safe during the first few hours of a leak, when the concentration of gas is highest.
“In the event of a leak or a dangerous goods release, time is not on your side,” Fort Saskatchewan Fire Chief James Clark said.
“If we were to have a catastrophic dangerous good release, whether from a transportation incident – rail, pipeline, over the road, or a fixed facility, we don’t have a lot of time. So evacuation in most cases isn’t an option.”
He explained the importance of acting quickly to find clean air indoors, whether that’s at your home, work, school or business.
“In the wintertime, chances are your doors and windows are already closed. The only thing you would have to do then is shut down your heating systems,” Clark said. “Our homes are meant to be sealed. So we can take full advantage of that air-tight home design to keep the bad stuff on the outside and the good stuff on the inside.
Residents also need to be aware of when advisories like this are in place, as well as when they’re over.
Brenda Gheran, executive director with NRCAER, said there’s a number of ways to educate yourself.
“Tune into information. Whether that’s local media, or your municipality website, subscribe to Fort Sask. alerts or your provincial alert system – Alberta Emergency Alerts.”
Alberta Emergency Alerts are free to download on any type of smartphone and by manipulating settings you can sign up only for notifications in your immediate area.
Shelter in place advisories may not happen frequently – Fort Saskatchewan only had one in 2015 – but emergency officials want people to be prepared so they don’t inadvertently put themselves or others at risk when a leak does occur.
“If you are prepared for it and you take the appropriate measures, then it prevents an emergency from becoming a disaster,” said Gheran.
Heartland 101 Shelter in Place
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