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Emergency Preparedness Week in Simcoe County

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May 4 to 10, 2025

Midhurst/May 5, 2025 – The County of Simcoe is once again reminding residents about the importance of preparing themselves and their families for a wide range of potential emergency situations by observing Emergency Preparedness (EP) Week from May 4 to 10, 2025. EP Week is a federal-provincial-municipal initiative to promote emergency preparedness across Canada.

The theme for Emergency Preparedness (EP) Week 2025 is “Plan for every season”, with a focus on prolonged power outages and severe summer weather. Take some time this week to prepare for emergencies by knowing your risks, making a plan and preparing an emergency kit. For more information on the steps to being prepared, or to download a copy of the County of Simcoe Emergency Preparedness Guide, visit simcoe.ca/beprepared.

“Just one month ago, we were reminded how critical it is for residents, businesses, and governments to be prepared for an emergency, no matter the time of year, after an ice storm wreaked havoc on many of our communities” said Warden Basil Clarke. “While many were without power for over a week, our communities banded together to protect our most vulnerable and ensure no lives were lost – for that we are very fortunate. It was in part due to the valuable partnerships we have across the province, but also to the incredible planning that goes on behind the scenes in between emergencies. We’d like to thank to our partners, our emergency personnel, and our residents for working together to get through this and for preparing for the future.”

In the spirit of the theme, Plan for Every Season, the County encourages residents to check their emergency kits to make sure they have items required for the current season, and that all non-perishables, medications, and other items are up to date, and that the kit ensures your family has adequate supplies for a prolonged power outage. Previous experience shows that by getting or preparing an emergency kit in case of natural disaster, families and individuals are able to reduce the risk and impact, as well as cope better both during and after a major disaster.

Follow @simcoecountyemc on Twitter and Emergency Management Simcoe County on Facebook for tips throughout EP Week 2025.

EP Week special training activity in Orillia

From May 5-6, 2025, special flood barrier training will be conducted at the Orillia waterfront to train local emergency management teams from municipalities across Simcoe County on when and how to use temporary flood barriers in an emergency situation. There will be increased emergency personnel in the area during this time as they learn and practice using these critical resources.

Simcoe Emergency Response Committee (SERC)

Preparing for emergencies takes planning, coordination and partnerships. In 2005, the County of Simcoe established a committee to bring together emergency managers and response personnel from local municipalities and partner organizations to coordinate emergency planning in the area.

About the County of Simcoe

County of Simcoe is composed of 16 member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.