Balancing the Scales of Preparedness

Emergency Preparedness Week (May 2-8, 2021) promotes safety preparedness by urging everyone to be personally responsible to remain safe when an emergency occurs. It asks Canadians to think about their environment and consider the dangers that would place them and their families at risk. However, if individual responsibility and personal preparedness sit on one side of the equation of public safety, it is balanced by the function of the Emergency Manager.
An Emergency Manager's role is to consider the big picture of a crisis by cultivating plans and overseeing the framework of emergency operation programs through an all-hazard approach to risk management. They survey the potential risks and repair the cracks in the wall before they become fissures and collapse the entire house. This is what it means to "be ready for anything" and is a part of the emergency management philosophy incorporated into preparedness plans. Emergency Management Ontario assists and guides us in coordinating operational activities when needed. The uniting force allows a standardized approach that creates cohesion across sectors.
Although Emergency Management is a relatively new profession, the pandemic has tested the worth of emergency managers, as they rose to overcome every obstacle put in their path.  Here at home, the Ontario Association of Emergency Managers (OAEM) continues to bring together experienced professionals, offering them professional development while mentoring the next generations of managers. Our mission is to foster a rich, diverse field of professionals that is prepared to act when the unthinkable strikes by:Supporting Professional Development

• Advocating on behalf of Emergency Managers
• of Ontario
• Contributing to the credibility of emergency management 
   

One lesson learned during the last year is that we are stronger together when working towards common goals and objectives. When Emergency Managers work collectively and share knowledge, they build resilient communities. The need for unity within emergency management has never been more valid and more essential than during the pandemic.
Emergency Managers worked diligently, with extended hours without question. They work in the shadows, and their efforts can go unnoticed. Along with our first responders and essentials workers, they continue to place the well-being of the public they serve before their own. For that reason alone, we owe them a sincere thank you. 
However, let us show our appreciation by using their selfless work as an example for our own. Preparedness Week is the opportunity to ask yourself, "What am I doing to keep myself, my family and my home safe?" These actions are sound practice not just for the Covid-19 crisis but a process that we can apply to all situations, for all members of society, even Emergency Managers. Our actions will show our frontline workers and Emergency Managers' gratitude for their work by being ready for anything. Personal preparedness champions a positivity that echoes not just within your home but the entire community. Placing our role in an emergency requires all of us to think like an emergency manager on a personal level and benefits everyone.