Alberta gets emergency ready with annual test

CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti got a look at the people who work behind the scenes when the province responds to natural disasters.

The Alberta government tested the province’s emergency readiness with a two-day exercise that ran from Tuesday to Thursday this week.

The annual exercise for the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre (PECC) and its partners uses a simulated scenario to test the coordination between government agencies that support wildfire and flood responses, along with business continuity, in Alberta.

“Preparing for emergencies means practicing how we respond under complex conditions,” Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, said in a statement on Tuesday. “(The exercise) helps ensure Alberta’s emergency systems and partners are ready to work together when it matters most.”

Dozens of people took part in the exercise at PECC on Thursday morning – going through the paces with a mock scenario of a massive wildfire up north, and severe floods in the southern part of the province.

Stephen Lacroix, with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA), said “preparedness is key” in the face of a disaster.

“We’re not wizards and we can’t predict the future,” Lacroix said Tuesday. “Statistically, Alberta, unfortunately … has been privy to some of the worst natural disasters this country has ever seen.”

With concurrent wildfires in several parts of the province in 2023, to the wildfire that burned through a third of Jasper in 2024, Lacroix said a new strategy at all levels was needed.

“We’ve pivoted over the recent years to an ability to manage numerous events at the same time, concurrently, over a good portion of spring and summer and leading into the fall with the wildfire season and being able to manage significant events … in different locations,” he said.

The stress test included various emergencies and disasters that the province might face, and focuses on strengthening collaboration while still maintaining alignment with the Alberta Emergency Plan and other established procedures. The goal is to manage large-scale emergencies while maintaining essential services.

“By bringing all of this together, I think we have the ability to pretty much roll with the punches and deal with everything that Mother Nature, again, will throw at us,” Lacroix said.

The PACC is staffed 24 hours, seven days a week to monitor emergencies as they arise and respond to phone calls from municipalities.

According to the AEMA , 332 local authorities, eight Metis settlements, and 48 First Nations also conduct their own annual training

Government officials also encourage Albertans to take “an active role in emergency preparedness” by signing up for alerts, having an emergency kit on hand, reviewing insurance coverage, as well as making and practicing a plan with family members in the case of a disaster.

Annual emergency management exercises have been held every year since 2001.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti