Sylvan Lake is prepared for just about anything. According to the recently approved Municipal Emergency Management Plan, the Town is even prepared for the possibility of a zombie outbreak.
According to the official plan, Section 4.26 details how the town would respond to a zombie outbreak complete with alerts to the town and evacuation protocols.
“As ridiculous as it sounds, it helps to have a plan in place for any possible scenario, even zombies,” said Joanne Gaudet, communications coordinator for the Town, who laughed when she found out there was a specific response to zombies.
The Municipal Emergency Management Plan is in place in case anything happen, which could be a huge event affecting the nation - like a zombie outbreak - or localized like the local state of emergency declared in Red Deer after the wind storm in June.
The plan gives officials a guideline in case something were to happen, and prepares everyone in case of an emergency.
Gaudet says the plan for most follow the same guidelines.
“They are all pretty much the same for each scenario, with specific details about each. This is important, because it limits the potential for things to get out of hand,” said Gaudet.
The Town often holds mock drills to test their preparedness for any situation as outlined in the plan.
Each person has a role to fill in any scenario, and the mock drills help to ensure the roles are being fulfilled properly and everyone involved is ready.
“We practise quite regularly, and it really helps, if something were to happen, to know we are ready in anyway we can be,” Gaudet said.
She specified having a zombie scenario helps keep people aware and motivated during the drills, as it is something unusual.
The Municipal Emergency Management Plan details what the Town will do in many different situations. Everything from a water supply emergency to tornado to flooding to fire or even a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear events are covered under the plan.
“Having a plan in place for any situation helps to keep everyone from being overwhelmed and ensures the well being of the citizens is at the forefront,” said Gaudet.
The Town of Sylvan Lake has had an emergency management plan in place for many years. The current plan, which was approved by Town Council on Aug. 28, is an updated version of a previous plan.
The plans are updated and redone every few years to ensure the best policies are in place for a multitude of situations.
“It really just means that we are prepared for just about anything,” said Gaudet.