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听Have an escape plan and share it.
There have been volumes written and spoken about the Fort McMurray fire with regards to the devastation it brought upon a good portion of that city鈥檚 population.
There will be emotional, mental, physical, logistical and economic challenges for all of these people as they slowly start to re-charge their lives.听
But let us begin with the basics.听
It was rather ironic that just as forest fires that surrounded Fort McMurray began to threaten that city of about 90,000, sending the entire population into fleeing mode, Estevan鈥檚 emergency response professionals were in local elementary schools teaching children what to do in the event of an emergency such as a fire, storm, flood, tornado or some other disaster.听
The key ingredient in the presentation was that all families should have a quick exit plan from their homes, and what they needed to take with them, and how they should prepare for that quick exit that may involve family members exiting from different portals, and how necessary it was to keep communicating while saving pets and papers.听
We caught more than a glimpse of the power of Mother Nature right here in the spring and summer of 2011 and now Fort McMurray residents will be relating tales of their narrow escapes this spring. The only good news to be had from this event is that no human lives were lost, which indicates that a lot of people were responding to the emergency very effectively and appropriately and the community鈥檚 population was listening and acting in accordance with the instructions they were given, which is also important.
Emergency responders do not need stubborn, rogue malcontents to deal with in times of stress when swift action is required.听
We don鈥檛 ask fire, rescue, police and emergency medical responders to write our editorials. In turn, we need not inform them as to how to go about their jobs.听
Just as our editorials are open for criticism, so are public responders up for scrutiny as they go about their daily tasks. But, when it comes down to the essentials, and the 鈥渨hat do we do鈥� situations, it鈥檚 best to listen to those who have been trained to protect. It appears Fort Mac residents knew that lesson.听
Naturally, there won鈥檛 be any forest fires to contend with in Estevan or in most of southeast Saskatchewan, but let us be ever mindful of the fact we are prime targets for a careless cigarette toss when the grass is dry and the wind is blowing, which is a pretty common occurrence in this region. We need not explain the power of unleashed water on our lives. It remains well etched in our memories.听
We can have the environmental and economic debates later regarding oil sands and the shutdowns and how much debris entered the atmosphere as a result of these still raging fires compared with the debris in the atmosphere caused by mining and shipping bitumen.听
The scientific analysts will have a heyday with that one, along with the economists who will spout their opinions as to what business was lost to Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran and Texas by closing the one million barrel per day oil sands for about a week and the ensuing implications of restoring their rightful place in the supply chain.
Those are the arguments, discussions and negotiations for the future.听
Right now, let鈥檚 celebrate the fact that Fort McMurray citizens have weathered this particular firestorm and we don鈥檛 question their resiliency. They did what was right a couple of weeks ago, they鈥檒l do what is right within the next few months.听
