Emergency Preparedness Day will return to Sarnia for its 14th year, following a five-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability (BASES) will hold the free family-friendly event on Saturday, May 10 at Lambton College.
BASES Senior Communications Advisor Tracy Krull said activities and exhibits will be on display inside the gym and outside of the school, in parking lot 13, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
"Outside, we're going to have a number of emergency response vehicles, fire departments, OPP, Sarnia police, Lambton EMS, Preferred Towing's going to be there," she said. "Then we've got lots of fun activities outside for the kids."
Activities will include face painting, inflatables, temporary tattoos, and a kids' fun zone. Mascots will also walk around the event.
Indoors, guests will find more activities and hands-on learning opportunities.
"I know Suncor is doing...you can race a firefighter to put on your bunker gear, so fun things like that," Krull said. "We're also going to be doing workshops throughout the morning as well with some hands-on demonstrations. There's going to be a series on home emergency planning, pet emergency planning, basic first aid, and medication safety as well."
The event is being held as part of Emergency Preparedness Week, a national effort advising people to be ready for incidents ranging from power outages and floods to chemical releases.
This year's national theme is "Be prepared. Know your risks."
Krull said members reviewed the possibility of bringing back the Emergency Preparedness event in 2022 but determined it was not the right time.
"I think there's an opportunity for all of us to come together and do some broader outreach, add in some fun aspects to kind of balance it out between that sun, fun, and safety messaging as well," she said.
Prior to the pandemic, the safety initiative was held during the week at Clearwater Arena, where students were bussed in from area schools. Whereas now, the event is more family-oriented.
"We wanted it to become a family discussion. Involve the decision makers in the home, and the guardians of the kids so that it can be a family discussion and can plan together and have some conversations around emergency planning and home safety," Krull said.
The event will include giveaways and a chance to win gift cards.
The Rotary Club of Sarnia will also be on site holding a charity barbeque, with $5 combo meals. Proceeds will support local initiatives.
Further details about the event can be found on a dedicated Facebook page.