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Emergency Management and Preparedness

Emergency Management

The County of Warner is a member of the County of Warner Regional Emergency Partnership (CoWREP), which is a partnership with other municipalities within the geographical boundaries of the County of Warner. Other members include the Village of Coutts, Town of Milk River, Village of Warner, and Village of Stirling. CoWREP was formed to enable cohesive and coordinated emergency response throughout the County, sharing resources and supporting all partner communities in the event of a disaster.


Emergency Preparedness

Disasters can happen with little or no warning. If a disaster happened tomorrow, how long could you and your family survive without assistance?

During a disaster it may take a while for emergency workers to reach you. Consider what items you would need to take care of yourself and your family for at least 72 hours. Gathering supplies, building an emergency kit, and preparing an emergency plan can help keep you safe and comfortable during an emergency or disaster.

Learn how you and your family can prepare yourselves for an emergency or disaster at the links throughout this page, including by clicking on any bolded words to find more information. 


Alberta Emergency Alerts

Alberta Emergency Alerts are issued to provide you with critical information about a potentially life-threatening situation in your area, including wildfires, floods, and tornadoes. Emergency alerts include information about the location of an emergency and what action you need to take to protect yourself. Alerts are sent out on TV, radio, websites, social media, the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app and compatible smart phones.

Alerts are geographically targeted to a specific area and all compatible wireless devices and tv/radio broadcasts in the area will receive the alert. You have the choice to download the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile application to ensure that you receive the alerts you need.


Hazard Preparedness

We all have a role to play in emergency and disaster preparedness. By knowing your role, you can prepare for what is within your control. Learn more at Government of Alberta - Before, during and after an emergency.

Wildfires

Wildfire season officially starts March 1 and runs until October 31 each year. Wildfires can affect communities in forested or grassland areas, including urban green spaces like ravines and parks. If a fire is near, protect yourself and loved ones by following directions from authorities and be prepared to evacuate. Learn more at Government of Alberta - Wildfire.

Alberta Municipalities - Risk Management: Resources for those affected by wildfires

For information on the current fire rating within the County of Warner and permitted related activities, see the Fire Permits section of this website.

Tornadoes and extreme winds

Extreme winds are common in Southern Alberta. Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones at Government of Alberta - Tornadoes and extreme winds.

Floods

Floods are a frequent hazard in Canada and have devastated many areas of Alberta. Learn more at Government of Alberta - Floods.

Power and water outages

An outage is a short or long-term loss of water or electric power. It can affect a single property, a building or an entire community. Many of Alberta’s hazards, such as high winds, freezing rain and flooding, can damage power lines causing power outages. Water outages can be caused by extreme temperature fluctuations and pipe corrosion causing water main breaks, among other reasons. Learn more at Government of Alberta - Power outages.

NEW

AltaLink has a wildfire mitigation plan in place, which includes a last-resort safety measure called a Public Safety Power Shutoff. See a brief description below, or visit their website at AltaLink - Wildfire Safety.

During extreme and dangerous weather conditions when a catastrophic fire could easily ignite and quickly spread, AltaLink may proactively shut off the power to our impacted transmission lines until conditions are safe to turn it back on. This will also de-energize the electricity distribution system connected to our lines in the area.

The Public Safety Power Shutoff is intended as a last resort preventative measure to ensure public safety.

What to expect:

Wildfire conditions can change rapidly. While there is no set timeline for Public Safety Power Shutoffs, we’re committed to providing information in the timeliest manner possible.

  • Advanced warning: Whenever possible, we will provide advance notice of a Public Safety Power Shutoff. Although worsening conditions may require swift action, our goal is to alert you as early as possible before an outage.
  • Continued updates: As conditions change on the ground, we will keep you informed before, during and after a Public Safety Power Shutoff. Updates will be delivered via a range of channels and through coordination with local emergency organizations.
  • Safety inspection: Once the extreme weather conditions have passed, crews will inspect affected power lines and equipment for damage and debris before restoring power.
  • Power restoration: We will restore your power as quickly as we safely can.

We will use all communication channels available to us to notify customers and community stakeholders. This includes outbound calls, social media updates, media advisories, website banners and alerts.

AltaLink works closely with our electricity distribution partners to communicate with customers in the areas where we operate. When communicating before, during and after a Public Safety Power Shutoff, you may receive alerts from FortisAlberta. Please ensure that you update your contact information with your local electricity retailer to receive updates.

For more information or to sign up for outage alerts, please visit Power Outage Alerts (fortisalberta.com) or call 310-WIRE.

Thunderstorms, lightning, heavy rain, and hail

Thunderstorms, lightning, heavy rain and hail can develop quickly and threaten life and property. Severe storms occur frequently across Alberta and can be unpredictable. Learn more at Government of Alberta - Thunderstorms, lightning, heavy rain, and hail.

Blizzards, freezing rain, ice storms, and extreme cold

Blizzards, ice storms, high winds and blowing snow can develop quickly and threaten life and property. Alberta also experiences extreme cold temperatures during the winter, when temperatures can reach as low as minus 40°C or colder. Temperatures this low are life-threatening and put people and animals at risk. Learn more at Government of Alberta - Blizzards, freezing rain, ice storms, and extreme cold.


Build an Emergency Kit

Unexpected situations happen every day. Having supplies is one thing you can do to help manage many situations.  There are many ways you and your family can become more prepared. You can build emergency kits to help you 'grab and go'. You can make sure you have enough supplies at home in case you have to take shelter for an extended period. In either case, your goal will be to have enough supplies to keep you and your family safe, warm and comfortable.

For a list of items to include in your emergency kit, visit Government of Alberta - Build an emergency kit.


Pet Preparedness

Emergencies and disasters can occur at any time. Being prepared for an emergency, disaster or even unexpected situations can help to keep your pet safe and comfortable when it matters most.  Learn more at Government of Alberta - Pet preparedness.


Farm Animals and Livestock Preparedness

Emergencies and disasters such as barn fires, blizzards or floods are common risks in agricultural communities across Alberta. Being prepared will help you protect your farm animals, livestock and property so you can overcome unexpected situations as quickly as possible. Learn more at Government of Alberta - Farm animals and livestock preparedness.

Creating a Shelter-in-Place plan ahead of time will allow you to be prepared in case an emergency or disaster occurs during which it is not possible to evacuate livestock. Use the Shelter-in-Place Checklist for Livestock to create a plan and be prepared.


Raise Awareness in your Community

The Get Prepared video series delivers simple steps that anyone can take to become better prepared for an emergency or disaster.

Getting prepared can seem like a large task to take on. It doesn’t happen over night, and breaking it down into simple steps can make it much easier. Take a minute today to learn about what you can do to become better prepared, and share the videos online and within your community. Learn more at Government of Alberta - Raise awareness in your community.


Make an Emergency Plan

Disasters often cause confusion and distress. A household plan will help you cope with the stress of an emergency or disaster.

Consider that your family may not be together when an emergency occurs and discuss what you would do in different situations.

Visit the Government of Canada Get Prepared website, or use the Emergency Preparedness guide to learn about how you can prepare and care for your family during an emergency. Learn even more at Government of Alberta - Make an emergency plan.