Students in Sudbury and Toronto demonstrated the importance of being prepared during Emergency Preparedness (EP) week. With only the contents of a 72-hour emergency survival kit, students were faced with a mock power outage that tested their basic survival skills.

On May 1, Lively District Secondary School in Sudbury was the first school in Ontario, to hold an event of this kind.

In Sudbury’s 20-hour event, 15 students were trained in emergency first-aid, participated in a survival game in the dark and learned practical skills from experts at Emergency Management Ontario (EMO), Sudbury Police, Fire Services, St. John Ambulance and others.

Toronto Westview Centennial Secondary School’s event was held on May 7. Eager students and educators, including the principals at both schools, participated in the overnight event.

Students were trained in basic emergency first-aid and heard presentations from agencies such at EMO, Toronto Emergency Management, Toronto Public Health, St. John Ambulance, the Red Cross and others.

The groups participated in a challenging disaster ‘Jeopardy’ game that tested their knowledge about emergencies and disaster. The Salvation Army provided a hot breakfast for the 25 students the next morning.

Delighted by the positive response, EMO’s public education unit and its partners are already setting sights on more EP high school survivor events next year during Emergency Preparedness Week.

“There has already been considerable interest from schools across the province; we will continue to work with our partnering agencies to deliver the important message of being prepared,” Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief of EMO Dan Hefkey said