Dear Editor:

On Tuesday, the B.C. government and the Canadian Red Cross Society formalized a partnership to deploy disaster management infrastructure, equipment and personnel more quickly and effectively in response to a major catastrophic event or natural disaster.
Through this agreement – one of the first of its kind in Canada – Emergency Management BC, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Development and the Canadian Red Cross will work together to provide collaborative planning, training and joint exercises that will enhance mutual emergency and disaster response capacity.
As well, the government and the Red Cross will develop and implement a plan and framework to help ensure the continued timely and effective deployment of Emergency Response Units (ERUs) as temporary resources to assist British Columbia in times of a major or catastrophic disaster.
In Canada, first responders and emergency management organizations already work closely to provide life-saving activities in partnership with Red Cross.
However, in a major catastrophic disaster like the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, local response efforts could be overwhelmed.
This is when the Red Cross can pull together its extensive resources and expertise.
This agreement lays the foundation that could bring in national or international Red Cross ERUs if and when a major disaster hits British Columbia.
ERUs are standardized, modular packages of trained personnel and equipment that are ready to be deployed to emergencies within 24-to-48 hours.
They are fully self-sufficient for one month and can be deployed for up to four months.
The agreement also sets out priorities for both strategic and operational co-ordination and will help ensure effective planning through risk management and integrated programming across agencies.
“The Red Cross is a beacon of hope for people when disaster strikes. Our government’s ability to mitigate, respond and recover from the impacts of a disaster will be greatly enhanced with this agreement,” said Shirley Bond, B.C.’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
“Moving forward, British Columbia families can now feel even more confident that they will continue to receive world-class disaster and emergency response when their lives are threatened by any future disaster.”
For more on emergency preparedness and how to get ready for a disaster, visit www.pep.bc.ca or www.getprepared.gc.ca

Cheekwan Ho
Canadian Red Cross
Communications Manager, B.C. & Yukon