From May 4 to 10, the City of Chestermere marked Emergency Preparedness Week with a series of community-focused initiatives aimed at building resilience, boosting awareness, and equipping residents with the tools they need to face emergencies head-on.
Led by Chestermere Fire Services, the annual campaign emphasized the importance of planning ahead for emergencies—whether natural disasters, severe weather, infrastructure disruptions, or other crises that can strike with little warning. The city aligned its activities with the national theme for 2025, “Be Prepared. Know Your Risks,” underscoring the need for Albertans to be proactive about emergency readiness.
“In Alberta, self-reliance continues to be one of the strongest motivators when it comes to emergency preparedness,” said a spokesperson from Chestermere Fire Services. “Preparedness isn’t something that happens overnight—it takes time, consideration, and action.”
Throughout the week, fire crews visited local businesses across Chestermere to distribute two new resources: the Business Preparedness Guide and the Emergency Resource Guide. These printed guides offer straightforward, actionable steps for business owners to strengthen their emergency response protocols and ensure staff are ready to respond effectively in the event of a crisis. Copies of both guides will also be made available to the public at City Hall.
Business owners were encouraged to schedule a specific visit by contacting the fire department directly, although drop-in visits were also conducted during the week. The outreach effort reflects a growing recognition that preparedness at the workplace is just as critical as readiness at home.
For individual residents, Chestermere promoted four key steps toward personal emergency preparedness:
Strive for financial resilience
Make community connections
Build an emergency kit and gather supplies
Create a personalized emergency plan
Residents were also introduced—or reintroduced—to Community Connect, a secure online platform that allows individuals to voluntarily share critical health and accessibility information with first responders. Information provided through Community Connect is stored using bank-level encryption and is used exclusively to help fire crews and paramedics offer better, faster care in emergency situations.
“Community Connect is about empowering residents and helping first responders provide more informed, compassionate service,” said the Fire Services team. “Whether someone has mobility issues, a service animal, or a specific medical condition, that’s information we can use to serve them better—especially when time matters most.”
As an added incentive, those who signed up for Community Connect during Emergency Preparedness Week were automatically entered into a prize giveaway.
Chestermere Fire Services continues to encourage all residents to take the first steps toward preparedness by visiting the city’s website, downloading the guides, and signing up for Community Connect. While emergencies may be unpredictable, being prepared doesn’t have to be.
For more information or to access the Business Preparedness and Emergency Resource Guides, visit www.chestermere.ca or contact scoutts@chestermere.ca.
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