Do you have an emergency survival kit at home and in the workplace? Does it have the right 'stuff' in it? What else can you do to prepare for a disaster? How is the university organized to handle an emergency situation?
You can find out the answers to these and other critical 'survival' questions at the UVic Emergency Awareness Day event in the Student Union Building, Oct. 14, 9 a.m - 4:00 p.m.
The day coincides with the United Nations World Disaster Reduction Day-held every year during the second week of October-which is designed to make people more aware of what they can do to protect themselves, their communities and their countries from natural hazards.
The goal of Emergency Awareness Day at UVic is to increase awareness in disaster preparedness and to promote student involvement, says Don Lovell, UVic's emergency planner. "In particular, we want to reach the faculty and students who weren't around in May when we held an Emergency Preparedness Week."
Lovell is quite aware that most people don't know how or where to start their personal emergency planning. That's why the university stages special events on the topic, he says.
"People know that emergency planning is something they should do, but they can't seem to find the time to do it," says Lovell. "Plus, it's hard enough to pay the bills every month, without having to think about buying things that hopefully will never be needed."
The other problem, he says, is that many of us have never experienced a wide-scale disaster, and can't visualize what it would be like when basic resources-such as water, food, and electricity-are not available for days, perhaps weeks.
UVic's Emergency Awareness Day event will include guest speakers such as Diane Johnson from First Aid & Survival Technologies Ltd. (11 a.m.), who will talk about emergency preparedness survival kits. Barry Akehurst, regional manager of the Provincial Emergency Program (2 p.m.), will discuss emergency preparedness in Victoria and Vancouver Island. And Lovell (3 p.m.), will describe emergency preparedness on campus.
There will also be a video presentation (noon - 1:30 p.m.) on how other universities have handled major emergencies. And at a trade expo taking place throughout the day, local companies will demonstrate the latest in emergency survival and first-aid kits, and earthquake securing devices for computers and other equipment.
Campus units involved in the day are: facilities management, occupational heath and safety, emergency social services, and campus security services.
External participants include: the Provincial Emergency Program, Emergency Preparedness Canada, Pacific Coast Savings, Victoria Search and Rescue, the B.C. Ambulance Service, First Aid and Survival Technologies Ltd., Emergency Social Services and Counter Quake Services Inc.
For more details on the day, or campus emergency planning in general,
call Don Lovell at 721-7593.