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FAITH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INITIATIVE Bridges of Love Ministry, April 2013

Overview of FEPI Activities, August 2011 - Present

We appreciate the opportunities Bridges of Love has had over the past few years to serve in various capacities. During the Slave Lake Fire, we invited FEPI churches to write letters of encouragement to those who had suffered loss and trauma. My husband and I visited Slave Lake Ecumenical Church one Sunday morning sharing over 50 letters with their congregation. Out of those letters, 15 came from residents of the Calgary Remand Centre due to a friend’s involvement as a volunteer. Kevin shared how he was participating in this endeavour and they too, wanted to write. I am sure their letters touched the hearts of the community. We made the decision to invite letters of encouragement rather than gather other donation items as so much had already come from all over Canada making the response over-whelming for those who had to sort and organize. We had a tour of the town and saw first hand the curling rink packed to the rafters with donations of all description. Since uncontrolled mobilization and over response are common problems in emergencies perhaps a coordinated FEPI response through education and communication could alleviate this situation.

A card of support was also delivered to the Fire Department where I was very fortunate to meet Jamie Coutts, the Slave Lake Fire Chief who kindly offered to come to Calgary to share their experiences. We invited Jamie to come for our AGM, having two sessions – a luncheon at St. John Lutheran Church for the church community, and an evening event “Beauty for Ashes” for the general public. Tom Sampson, CEMA’s Deputy Chief made introductions so it was great having him attend as the Calgary Emergency Management Agency played

an integral part for the collaborative efforts at the Slave Lake fire. November 29, 2011 marked the day of a horrific and freakish wind storm that wrecked portions of downtown structures and ripped infrastructure and trees right out of the ground. DSS was setting up a Reception Centre for the apartment evacuees so phoned BofL to inquire if a FEPI church in the downtown core could accommodate 300 people. Within fifteen minutes we had a church on stand-by. Our FEPI Advisory Council member, Dr. John Lucas

was the recipient of the call, and due to the relationship we had fostered over the years, it was not a hard call to make in the wee hours of the morning! One valuable lesson learned through this experience, was the importance of having 24 hr. contact information, for each FEPI church. DSS made the decision to use a larger facility (Mawata Armouries) but it was a valuable experience allowing insight into a situation where we might be called that is not a Level D Emergency.

Building relationships with our Public Sector partners has been a major thrust of this endeavour over the years. Ken Hoffer, Coordinator of CEMA made introductions to their Lodging Team member, Susan Fernadez. Susan was looking for more Reception Sites so Calgary Churches

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were invited to allow their facilities to go through the City Assessment process. I accompanied Susan on 9 site visits and they are now pleased to have additional reception locations identified. Another opportunity to serve came during the evacuation of the Huntington Hills Condo due to mould in the complex. “CUPS” was asked to facilitate the evacuation and due to the over-whelming job ahead, they called Bridges of Love as well as many other agencies to assist. Sandi Misselbrook, Alberta NGO Council Chair, and Matt Pretto, Calgary Red Cross also invited BofL to help as they had become familiar with our ministry. I dropped in to learn more about the need and was introduced to a family who was not cooperating with CUPS. After speaking with this family (from Iraq) who did not understand the severity of the situation, they accepted the help offered, to relocate. We keep in touch with this family and they are now doing well. I appreciated the opportunity to attend Disaster Social Services Open Forum in Calgary. The full day of discussions was very valuable to identify areas where gaps for emergency response were evident. Sessions I attended were on volunteerism, donations, and communication. Another Workshop facilitated by the Ottawa University to address the needs of the vulnerable population during a disaster was also a great discussion. Again, applications for FEPI to assist with the elderly, handicapped, deaf, blind, and those who live alone were clear. After our FEPI Operation’s Manual was completed, an application for a Council Strategic Initiative Funding Grant was submitted. Our hope was to test our structure with a Pandemic Table Top Exercise, conducted in each quadrant of the city, by Emergency Response Management Consulting (ERMC). Unfortunately, we were not successful for this grant, but as a backup, a Letter of Intent was also submitted to the Calgary Foundation. We were fortunate to secure a Neighbourhood Grant for $5000 to conduct one Pandemic Tabletop Exercise which was held at Emmanuel Church on May 11, 2012. We were very thankful to the Calgary Foundation for giving this opportunity to test our FEPI structure. Twenty participants from FEPI Churches, FEPI Advisory Council members and BofL Board, spent the day going through a pandemic scenario with a goal to introduce individuals to a theoretical pandemic scenario that would require a response from FEPI partners. A follow-up evaluation report was documented by ERMC. Bruno Conejo, ERMC consultant offered an additional day to discuss their findings and recommendations. The follow-up was very beneficial as we developed a template for a more comprehensive FEPI Church Contact and Resource Assessment Form. We appreciated Chris McKiernan, AHS and other FEPI Advisory Council Members who attended one or both sessions.

Calgary Emergency Management Agencies Disaster Alley took place one day after our TTX, May 12, 2012 which was our second year participating in their event. We shared heart suckers, 60 Love Bee…ing Prepared toques and 100 magnets with City Emergency Numbers and FEPI Coordination Centre Contact information as well as resource material and FEPI brochures. We really enjoyed conversations with people from all walks of life who appreciated knowing churches were preparing to assist their communities.

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September 13, 2012 Bridges of Love was honoured by the Calgary Chamber of Volunteer Organizations, with the Calgary Non-profit Innovation Award. October 9, the Queen Elizabeth 11 Diamond Jubilee Medal was presented by Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor in the presence of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament.

David Durrant writes in the Cumberland Now Publication - “Enhancing Community Resilience by Informing and Empowering Youth, “ when children and youth are educated about their community’s disaster plan, they could greatly enhance their community’s response during disaster. The children become the direct beneficiaries of what they have learned, and they become a conduit for inducing interest and action within their family and community.” FEPI, a ‘top down’ as well as a ‘bottom up’ initiative, gave an opportunity to witness youth in action, as a group of 12 – 17 year olds from Emmanuel Lutheran Church went door to door delivering FEPI emergency magnets along with AHS Emergency Guides. It was a very cold evening but their “LOVE BEE…ING PREPARED” toques kept them warm. They had a little introduction to emergency preparedness. As well, it was an opportunity to meet their neighbours, who appreciated their enthusiasm and maturity.

“Love Bee…ing Prepared – That none be left behind” a Fund Raising Event took place October 28, 2012 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Village. Jeff Lehrmann, President of Chevron Canada Ltd. provided an inspiring message for the importance of emergency preparedness in his industry as well as in the community. The Calgary Fire Department Cappy Smart Band entertained with lively instrumentals and Captain Linley Biblow of Station 4 brought greetings from the City. It was a great evening!

MissionFest Alberta took place at the Shaw Convention Centre in Edmonton February 24 – 26, 2013. We were encouraged by the increased interest with a desire to see this endeavour duplicated in other regions. Since this event attracts attendees from western Canada we feel it is time to look at fulfilling Public Safety Canada’s challenge to duplicate our template across Canada.

CCVO INNOVATION AWARD QUEEN ELIZABETH 11 DIAMOND JUBILEE MEDAL MEDMEDAWARD