UTRCA Helps Plan Mock Flood Events for London and St. Marys Emergency Training Exercises (UTRCA weekly, January 6, 2023)
In November 2022, the City of London and the Town of St. Marys held their Mandatory Training Exercises under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.
For this annual exercise, emergency service providers within each municipality convened to review a mock emergency scenario and discuss how they would manage a system-wide response. In 2022, the scenarios, for both the City of London and the Town of St. Marys, focused on flooding of the Thames River. As such, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff were asked to help plan a realistic scenario as well as partake in the exercise itself.
David Charles, UTRCA Supervisor, Water and Erosion Control Structures and Mark Helsten, UTRCA Senior Water Resources Engineer were instrumental in the planning process. During both exercises, Eleanor Heagy, Communications and Marketing Coordinator, also made a presentation outlining the UTRCA’s communication protocol during a flooding event. Communication and Marketing Specialists, Emily Chandler and Amy Bumbacco, participated in the exercises to lend their experience with flood communications, and learn the flood response processes of emergency responders.
Throughout the full-day exercise in London, the UTRCA disseminated Flood Bulletins outlining flow rates and the expected level of flooding for the mock scenario. Exercise participants then engaged in a role-play activity, taking actions that they would during an actual flooding event including road closures, evacuations, and responding to medical emergencies.
In addition to staff from the City of London and UTRCA, participants included representatives from the London Police and Fire Department, London Hydro, Emergency Medical Services, local hospitals, London Transit Commission, Ontario Works, and Public Health, among others.
In St. Marys, participants included Huron Perth Public Health, Perth County Paramedic Services, St. Marys Information Technology, St. Marys Fire Department, St. Marys Public Works, St. Marys General Hospital, Stratford Police, and others. The half-day exercise involved a tabletop activity in which participants discussed the actions they would take in response to flooding that overwhelms municipal infrastructure, including the town’s floodwall. The exercise was divided into three modules: pre-storm, storm at 24 hours, and post-storm recovery.
Participants in both London and St. Marys found the exercises to be of great value. They aided in the examination of current processes, helped to build relationships, and spurred much thought and discussion about how to manage a major flood event.
