Emergency Services and Preparedness

The County of Perth is responsible for providing land ambulance services to all residents of the County of Perth, including those in the Town of St. Marys and the City of Stratford. The Perth County Paramedic Services provides 24-hour emergency and non-emergency pre-hospital medical care and transportation to individuals experiencing injury or illness.

Perth County Paramedic Services is committed to providing the highest level of pre-hospital Paramedic services to our community. We are also committed to providing our paramedics with the training and knowledge to provide the best in professional Basic Life Support in Paramedic Services:

• 24 hours per day
• Primary Care Paramedics (PCP) will be certified according to the current legislation and regulations
• On-site staffed ambulance response time of 2 minutes
• Provide sufficient staffing comprised of full and part-time Primary Care Paramedics to staff 6-7 ambulances, 24 hours per day; where operationally possible
• Each Emergency Response Vehicle responding to a request shall be staffed with at least one person qualified as a PCP under the legislation and regulations
• Each ambulance responding to a request for service is staffed with at least one Primary Care Paramedic and one EMA qualified as per the legislation
• Have sufficient PCP qualified staff to meet the Deployment and Utilization Strategy 2.0 Scope

The Emergency Management program is unified, covering the County and its four member municipalities on a shared services basis.  A vital aspect of the county's program is public education and awareness.

Perth County Emergency Management 

If an emergency happens in your community, it may take emergency workers some time to get to you. You should be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for a minimum of 72 hours. By taking 3 simple steps today, you can become better prepared to face a range of emergencies - anytime, anywhere. 

# 1 KNOW the Risks

Knowing the risks in your region can help you better prepare. Across Canada, we face a number of hazards, such as earthquakes in British Columbia, blizzards in Nunavut and tornadoes in Ontario. In addition to natural disasters, there are other types of risks, such as power outages and industrial or transportation accidents.

What are the risks in Perth County?

Consider risks that might be around you. Are you on the flood plain? Is there an arena or food processor with ammonia close by? Is the railroad or highway nearby that dangerous goods travel on?

Potential risks include:

• Severe weather and other meteorological events
• Major accidents
• Infrastructure failures
• Disease outbreaks
• Intentional acts

# 2 Make a PLAN

An emergency plan will help you and your family know what to do in case of an emergency.

It only takes 20 minutes to complete a personalized plan online. You can then print it out. Most of this information can be filled out on your own. You may need to get some information from your Municipality.

To fill out your home emergency plan, you will need to think about:

• Safe exits from home and neighbourhood
• Meeting places to reunite with family or roommates
• Designated person to pick up children should you be unavailable
• Contact persons close-by and out-of-town
• Special health needs
• Place for your pet to stay
• Risks in your region
• Location of your fire extinguisher, water valve, electrical box, gas valve and floor drain
• Keep this document in an easy to find, easy to remember place (for example, with your emergency kit). Photocopy this plan and keep it in your car and/or at work. 

Complete your emergency plan online today! 

# 3 PREPARE an Emergency Kit

In an emergency, you will need some basic supplies. Make sure your kit is easy to carry and everyone knows where it is. Keep it in a backpack, duffle bag or suitcase with wheels, in an easy-to-reach, accessible place, such as your front hall closet. In addition to the 72 hour kit, consider other kits for seniors/special needs, your pets, your vehicle and having a grab and go bag in case you have to leave your home on short notice.

View a full list of what to include in your emergency kit to help you prepare yours.

The County of Perth's Emergency Management Plan

The plan outlines how the County and its emergency response agencies will coordinate themselves to respond to, and help the County recover from a large scale emergency. It outlines the roles, responsibilities, procedures and guidelines that will be followed to protect the health, safety, and well-being of the County of Perth residents.

County of Perth Emergency Management Plan

Preparedness Tip:

Receive Environment Canada Weather Alerts on Twitter!  Find your local Weather Alert feed and follow it on Twitter.

Police services in the Municipality of West Perth are provided by the Ontario Provincial Police through a contract with the Municipality.

The West Perth Police Services Board oversees the provision of police services including law enforcement and crime prevention in the Municipality of West Perth which contract with the OPP.

Citizen Self Reporting

The OPP have designed a citizen self reporting system which allows you to submit a report from your computer without going to an OPP detachment. All submissions will be reviewed by an officer, and you may be contacted to provide additional information. You must have a valid e-mail address in order to submit a report.

Note: The OPP are also empowered to enforce Municipal By-laws within the Municipality of West Perth.

If this is an emergency, please call 911