TORONTO, May 14, 2018 /insPRESS/ – Emergency Preparedness Week is organized by Public Safety Canada and takes place each year in May. This year, the event was rolled-out nationally May 6th – 12th, with the aim of helping Canadians safeguard themselves during an emergency situation. This year’s theme was “Be Emergency Ready”.
The event also presents an ideal opportunity to identify whether your organization is prepared for an emergency. Whether it’s a weather-related issue (such as a flood), a failure of a critical infrastructure system (such as power), or a community emergency which results in a shut-down of building or road access, emergencies come in all shapes and sizes and can disrupt your home or business. “At 30 Forensic Engineering, we frequently encounter properties which have been subjected to emergency events—I would suggest looking for ways to not only survive through an emergency situation, but to facilitate the recovery and rebuilding process” states Jeff Reitsma P.Eng, and Principal, Remediation.
Some practices to consider:
• Identify procedures and key support persons, including 24/7 contact numbers for your insurance representative, after-hours emergency response contractors and operation-critical vendors.
• Include audits of emergency response actions such as evacuation & lock-down procedures, equipment shut-downs, testing of back-up power, flow-testing drains, and exercising of shut-off valves as part of scheduled preventative maintenance activities.
• Document emergency response plans across all manner of scenarios and communicate (and practice!) these plans both internally, and as part of larger building- and community-wide
• Actively manage designated substances such as asbestos, silica, PCBs and lead and maintain inventories of said materials in accordance with applicable regulations; this information should be shared with emergency responders to make every reasonable effort to notify those workers of health & safety and environmental hazards.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date drawings or CAD models, especially of infrastructure-critical elements such as electrical single-line diagrams and plumbing riser & valve schedules, to identify critical isolation and shut-off points and to direct emergency responders.
• Clear and consistent labelling of piping and valves, cables, conduits, panels and junction boxes will save precious time when tracing leaks and confirming isolation of systems in an emergency.
• Ensure all construction and renovations are done to code by qualified contractors; proper fire-stopping of floor slab penetrations for instance can minimize the spread of smoke & soot damage during a fire, and also prevent water from travelling from floor-to-floor via ceilings and within wall assemblies.
Incorporate resiliency into design selections where possible:
• Bolt- or screw-on finishes can be more easily removed than glued- or cemented-on finishes facilitate drying or replacement.
• Water permeable materials in layers should be avoided in leak-prone areas – hardwood flooring with foam underlayment as an example is difficult to dry in place in a timely manner.
• Permeable walk- and drive-way finishes and green roofs can help to minimize surface run-off in and around properties.
• Make allowance for flooding in risky areas and provide robust drains, housekeeping pads or pedestals for sensitive equipment, while keeping overhead areas in such locations free to allow use of lifting devices to facilitate replacement.
Make use of the extensive emergency preparedness resources available on-line, including excellent check-lists, tips and guides:
Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Restoration Contractors Organization of Canada (RCOC)
It is essentially impossible to effectively plan for all potential emergency situations, but effective and targeted preparation can result in significant reductions to the likelihood and impact of an emergency situation on your property – “Plan. Prepare. Be Aware”!
As outlined by Public Safety Canada “Get Prepared” program, here are additional on-line resources as to what’s occurring across Canada:
Alberta
Alberta Emergency Management Agency
British Columbia
Emergency Management BC
Manitoba
Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization
New Brunswick
New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador Fire and Emergency Services
Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories Emergency Management Organization
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office
Nunavut
Nunavut Emergency Management
Ontario
Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island Emergency Measures Organization
Quebec
Quebec – Ministère de la sécurité publique
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Emergency Management Organization
Yukon
Yukon Emergency Measures Organization
Welcome to -30- The last word in forensic engineering.
30 Forensic Engineering has been voted Canada’s best ‘Expert Witnesses’ for the third year in a row. Our Collision Reconstruction and Civil/Structural practice groups each garnered the top awards at the 3rd Annual Canadian Lawyer Readers’ Choice Awards.
Expert Witnesses – Accident Investigation & Reconstruction Award
Expert Witnesses – Civil & Structural Forensic Engineering Award
About 30 Forensic Engineering
30 Forensic Engineering has been serving the insurance and legal industries for 15 years and is one of Canada’s largest and most respected multi-disciplinary forensic firms. Our core team of 50 Professional Investigators and Engineering Technicians is enhanced through relationships with some of the top scientists, standard-makers and specialized consultants in North America.
We provide world-class engineering and consulting expertise in:
Civil/Structural Failure
Building and Fire Code
Geotechnical and Mining
Biomechanics Personal Injury
Human Factors
Collision Reconstruction
Transportation Safety
Renewable Energy
Environmental Health & Safety
Multi-disciplinary Remediation
Materials & Product Failure / Piping & HVAC
Fire / Electrical & Explosion investigations
Trucking
For further information, please contact:
Paul Aquino, Director, Marketing
paquino@30fe.com
For confidential inquiries on becoming a member of the -30- Forensic Engineering team, please contact:
Stephanie d’Obrenan, Senior Manager, People and Culture
sdobrenan@30fe.com
30 Forensic Engineering In the News:
JLT Canada Presents 2018 Municipal Risk Management & Professional Development Conference
30 Forensic Engineering Names Jeff Reitsma Principal for Remediation Practice
30 Forensic Engineering and Blouin Dunn LLP Host The 12th Annual Big Mingle
30 Forensic Engineering Expands Human Factors Group with the Appointment of Fabian Erazo
30 Forensic Engineering Strengthens Geotechnical Group with the Appointment of Dr. Ahmed Fahmy
30 Forensic Engineering and Blouin Dunn Proudly Announce the 2018 Big Mingle Sponsorship Partners
JLT Canada Public Sector Summit 2017 – A Shift in Focus for Canadian Municipalities
30 Forensic Engineering Announces Senior Level Appointments
2017 Forensic Investigation Forum: Property & Casualty Claims and Risk Mitigation
30 Forensic Engineering Recognized as Top Experts by Canada’s Legal Community
British Columbia Wildfire Catastrophe: 30 Forensic Engineering Onsite & Ready to Assist
30 Forensic Engineering Announces New Website Launch
30 Forensic Engineering Celebrates International Women in Engineering Day
30 Forensic Engineering Strengthens Geotechnical and Mining Group with the Appointment of Xiangyu Li
30 Forensic Engineering Strengthens Remediation Group with the Appointment of Chris Ciasnocha
30 Forensic Engineering Construction Services – Claims, Risk and Advisory
30 Forensic Engineering Strengthens Civil/Structural Group with the Appointment of Karen Lin
Plan. Prepare. Be Aware. It’s Emergency Preparedness Week
30 Forensic Engineering’s Multidisciplinary Approach Provides a 360° View of Slip & Fall Assessments
The Society of Automotive Engineers International Publishes 30 Forensic Engineering Research Paper
–30- Forensic Engineering Proudly Announces Retitled Transportation Safety Group
Construction Claims Team at -30- Forensic Engineering Offers Productivity Loss Assessment Services
-30- Forensic Engineering’s Jiwan Thapar Presents Full Day Course at Toronto Construction Association on Feb 28, 2017
-30- Forensic Engineering’s Pierre Maheux to Present at the 2017 Ontario Bar Association Institute
-30- Forensic Engineering Strengthens Road Safety Group with the Appointment of Shahram Almasi
Blouin Dunn LLP and -30- Forensic Engineering’s Big Mingle, January 30, 2017
Blouin Dunn & -30- Forensic Engineering Thank 2017 Big Mingle Sponsors
-30- Forensic Engineering Launches Fixed-Fee Fire Investigation Service
-30- Forensic Engineering Promotes Pablo Robalino to Senior Associate within Civil/Structural Group
-30- Forensic Engineering Strengthens Civil/Structural Group with the Appointment of Paul Reinis
-30- Forensic Engineering Forms Integrated Fire and Electrical Investigations Division
-30- Forensic Engineering Strengthens its Collision Reconstruction Group with the Appointment of Brad Muir
-30- Forensic Engineering Retained to Complete Rail Crossing Safety Reviews for Ontario Municipalities
–30- Forensic Engineering’s Alex Nolet to Present at the Association Quebecoise des Transports (AQTR) Symposium
-30- Forensic Engineering Brand Launch Event, October 5, 2016
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