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Shelter-in-Place Preparation

What is "Shelter-in-Place"?
How do you know when to Shelter-in-Place? 
What should we do during a chemical emergency?
How long will the sirens sound? 
How will we know when the emergency is over? 
When are the sirens tested? 
How can I better promote Shelter-in-Place safety in my place of work?
 


What is "Shelter-in-Place"?

In the event of a chemical release, safety sirens in Sarnia’s industrial corridor will sound to alert the public. If you hear the sirens, or are told to Shelter-in-Place, emergency officials recommend that you Shelter, Shut and Listen:

  • Stay inside 
  • Close all windows and secure doors (locking provides a tighter seal).
  • Turn off all ventilation systems such as heating or air conditioning.
  • If there are gaps in windows or doors, seal with tape or damp towels. 
  • Have an battery operated radio for emergencies and tune to local radio stations for more information

 

How do you know when to Shelter-in-Place?

Sarnia has a Community Warning System in place that uses several tools to alert the public. If there is a chemical release with the potential to impact the community, the outdoor Safety Sirens located in the vicinity of the emergency will be sounded. The sirens will sound for about 3 minutes, and will be re-sounded periodically during the emergency. The sirens are tested on Mondays at 12:30 p.m. Safety sirens are located in the downriver industrial corridor and in the City of Sarnia.

Details during a Shelter-in-Place incident are issued by emergency officials via the news media.. Local radio stations will sound an alert tone interrupting regular broadcasts, followed by a voice message about the chemical emergency. Be sure you have a battery powered radio at home and at your place of work.


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What should we do during a chemical emergency?
If emergency officials recommend that people in your area Shelter-in-Place, you should stay inside and encourage customers, vendors, and others to do the same. Allow people from outside to Shelter-in-Place in your home or workplace. Begin implementing your site emergency plan. For a Shelter-in-Place emergency, you will need to stay inside until the chemical leak has stopped and winds have dissipated any vapors in the vicinity.


Here are the recommended steps to Shelter-in-Place:

1.   Advise everyone to stay inside.
Announce to everyone in the building that the City has issued a Shelter-in-Place advisory. Recommend that people not leave the building during this time unless specifically ordered to do so by police or fire personnel. Leaving the building could result in exposure to toxic chemical vapors.

2.   Close all doors, windows and other sources of outside air.
Close and lock windows for a tighter seal. Control access doors (locking will provide a tighter seal). Post a “Shelter-in-Place in Effect – Controlled Access” sign in the window so that people outside will know you are closed and Sheltering-In-Place. If additional people want to enter to Shelter-in-Place, minimize the time the door is held open. Move others in the room away from the door that is opened. People who insist on leaving the building should be allowed to leave, but advise them it is at their own risk since emergency officials have issued a Shelter-in-Place advisory.

3.   Turn off all air conditioning or heating systems
Your building’s thermostats or air-handling cutoff switches should be labeled, and employees should be trained where they are located and how they work. Ceiling fans or portable fans can be used inside to keep cool while the ventilation system is shut down.
 

4.   Turn on your battery operated radio to a local radio station
Emergency officials in
Sarnia recommend tuning to one of the local radio stations for emergency information. Officials will be providing the news media with updated information on the locations that should continue to Shelter-in-Place. If you have a television available, Cogeco Cable will also provide news reports, and should scroll information during the event.

                                

5.   Stay off the telephone
Avoid using the phone so it is available to receive the informational call. Do not call
9-1-1 to get more information. Only call 9-1-1 if you need immediate assistance with a life-threatening emergency. Overloaded telephone circuits (including cellular phone calls) can prevent actual emergency calls from getting through.
 

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How long will the sirens sound?

The sirens will sound initially for about three minutes. They will continue to be resounded periodically if the event continues. Shelter-in-Place alerts are also broadcast over local radio stations in Lambton County.
 

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How will we know when the emergency is over? 
City officials will announce the All Clear via the news media, so keep monitoring your radio. There is no separate safety siren signal for All Clear. The sirens were not designed to be heard indoors.

After the All Clear is announced, you can open your windows and doors to air out your building.

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When are the sirens tested?

The sirens are tested every Monday at 12:30 p.m. They only sound for about one minute during the test, but will sound for three minutes during a real event.

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How can I better promote Shelter-in-Place safety in my place of work?
If a major chemical release occurred, local emergency officials would notify people to Shelter-in-Place as a protective action. Shelter-in-Place means to go inside, close doors and windows, shut off heating or air conditioning systems and take any other steps necessary to prevent contaminated outside air from entering the building. Businesses have unique challenges during such an event. Employees need to be trained to know what to do. Customers and vendors will need instructions. What if people on the street enter your business looking for a place to get indoors?

To assist businesses with these challenges and help them get prepared for a Shelter-in-Place event, CAER (Community Awareness and Emergency Response) suggests local businesses develop a Shelter-In-Place plan.

Every business should develop a written emergency plan that includes what to do in case the safety sirens sound or a Shelter-in-Place advisory is issued, just as the plan covers what to do in case of a fire or tornado. A harmful chemical could be accidentally released from an industrial processing or storage facility, or during transportation from a spill involving a pipeline, railcar or truck. Chemical releases can also occur from municipal wastewater treatment facilities that utilize ammonia or even a community swimming pool that still uses chlorine. 

To obtain more information on how to build your plan, contact CAER at (519) 332-2010. CAER can also provide speakers or onsite mentoring to assist with emergency planning.

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