Are You Ready?
Community Partners helping residents develop their own personal emergency preparedness plan.
Your emergency preparedness kit should contain adequate supplies to keep you and your family self-sufficient in your home for at least 72 hours.
Your major needs are going to be water and food, so start by setting aside bottled water.
A general rule of thumb is two litres per person for each day.
Then, collect some non-perishable foods like grain products, meat and alternatives, canned fruits and vegetables, non-perishable milk products, other foods, and additional food supplies.
Set reminders to rotate your emergency foods and water into your regular meals to be sure they don't expire, and replace the items as you use them.
Next, add other important emergency supplies to your kit.
Store all your paper documents in a waterproof and portable container and remember to include a first aid kit.
Assemble all the supplies in an easy-to-carry container and store it in an easy to get to location.
To find out more about what you can do to be prepared, visit Ottawa.ca for more emergency kit ideas, including checklists for your first aid kit, car kit, tips on pet preparedness, and more.
Vulnerable persons checklist
A vulnerable persons kit will help ensure everyone's unique needs are provided for in the event of an emergency when regular sources of assistance can be interrupted. Making one is easy, inexpensive, and quick - and it can make all the difference.
Your vulnerable persons kit should contain adequate supplies to keep you and your family self-sufficient in your home for at least three days.
A vulnerable persons kit can be prepared for any family members who need it, such as infants, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Assemble the supplies in an easy-to-carry container and store it in an easy to get to location.
Your kit should contain:
- For babies: jarred baby food; instant cereal or formula; sterilized water to make formula; baby bottles; disposable diapers; extra clothing; snowsuit; medication
- For adults: special medications; dentures; eyeglasses; hearing aids; batteries; copies of prescriptions
- For children: toys; games; extra clothing; special medications
- For persons with disabilities: extra batteries for wheelchairs and other personal care equipment; oxygen; medication; catheters; food for guide or service dogs
- For pets: water; food; vaccination records
For more information on emergency preparedness, call 3-1-1, TTY: 613-580-2401 or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service (VRS)
Office of Emergency Management
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) ensures the safety of all residents and visitors by:
- planning, preventing and preparing prior to an emergency
- responding and ensuring the continuation of essential services during an emergency
- activating the Emergency Operations Centre Control Group (a multi-departmental Steering Committee) when needed and
- helping the city recover after an event.
Contact us
Occurring situation that is not life threatening: 3-1-1
Office of Emergency Management and Are You Ready Program: AreYouReady@ottawa.ca
Mandated by the province under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990, the Office of Emergency Management is responsible for managing the:
- Emergency Management Program (EMP)
- Initiated in 2002, EMP addresses legislative requirements under the act with the goal of enhancing collaboration between all emergency partners prior to, during and after an emergency.
- City of Ottawa Emergency Plan
- Reviewed on an annual basis, the Emergency Plan governs the provision of necessary services during an emergency and the processes and procedures in which city employees and partners will respond to the emergency.
- Emergency Management Training and Exercise Program
- Developed a multi agency training and exercise program for City of Ottawa staff and partners that manage, support and respond to emergencies for a period of several days or more. Regularly test the effectiveness of the City of Ottawa emergency plan at the multi-departmental level, to allow for continuous improvement of the City’s emergency response capacity.
- Are You Ready Program: Emergency Preparedness Public Education and Awareness Program
- Launched in 2005, Are You Ready aims to educate community and businesses on the importance of emergency planning. The better-prepared people are for an emergency, the better the City is able to respond to the emergency.