The City of Calgary releases fun and engaging on-line course to prepare kids for emergencies

The Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) has developed The Ready Squad on-line training to teach kids aged 7-12 all about disaster risk in Calgary and how to prepare.

The Ready Squad course teaches children important emergency preparedness skills and protective actions, in a fun way. Kids will learn:

• what the disaster risks in Calgary are, such as floods and tornadoes; ways to prepare, like creating a home evacuation plan and having household emergency supplies
• what to do during common emergencies and how to stay informed
• what to expect when recovering from a disaster.

“Children are often overlooked when it comes to disaster planning, but teaching them about emergencies and having them contribute to emergency action plans will increase their resilience to disaster and improve safety for the whole family,” says Sue Henry, Deputy Chief of Calgary Emergency Management Agency.

Children are more physically and emotionally vulnerable to disasters than adults. Research indicates that empowering them with knowledge and awareness in advance of a disaster will keep them safer and more resilient to trauma they may endure during an event. In addition, children are great messengers and will spread this important emergency preparedness information to their friends, family, and other members of their community.

“Children are our future leaders, and they have much to say and contribute about the safety and sustainability of our world,” says Tim Haney, Board of Governors Research Chair in Resilience & Sustainability, Disaster Researcher and Professor of Sociology at Mount Royal University. “For this reason, I am so happy to see that CEMA's Ready Squad program will be available to help educate and prepare children to participate in community dialogue about disaster risk, and to make Calgary a more resilient city."

The City is working with school and youth programs to use Ready Squad as an educational tool that supports Alberta Education curriculum outcomes.

There is no need to register or sign up for the course. Simply visit Calgary.ca/readysquad and click on the link to take the free course and become a Ready Squad member.

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