Emergency Management

Emergencies can occur at any time, and result in significant impacts to the health and wellbeing of communities. These can be defined broadly as “a situation or impending situation that constitutes a danger of major proportions that could result in serious harm to persons or substantial damage to property.”

Public health emergencies more specifically refer to situations where the health and safety of the community is at risk due to significant exposures to health hazards at a population level, such as:

• Infectious disease outbreaks (epidemics or pandemics, like COVID-19)
• Widespread contamination of water, and 
• Food borne illness outbreaks

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is committed to ensuring that the Middlesex-London community is prepared and protected during public health emergencies by following the five pillars of community emergency management:

1. Prevention
2. Mitigation
3. Preparedness
4. Response
5. Recovery

Through the Emergency Management program, we collaborate closely with local, provincial and federal partners to support coordinated responses, reduce impacts from disasters, and promote community resilience.

• Middlesex County: Based on the Community Risk Assessments in Middlesex County, the most likely emergencies are:
• Transportation incidents (involving dangerous goods and/or passengers)
• Severe summer storms
• Tornadoes
• Severe winter storms (with ice, freezing rain & snow)
• Human health emergencies
• City of London: Based on the HIRA completed in the City of London, the most likely emergencies are:
• Severe weather and other meteorological events
• Major accidents (e.g., fires, explosions, water contamination)
• Technological failures (e.g., extended power outages, network interruptions)
• Disease outbreaks (e.g., influenza and pandemics)
• Intentional acts (e.g., arson, crime)
• Visit the City of London’s Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment webpage for more information.

Resources

 For more information on staying prepared for emergencies, such as how to prepare an emergency kit, see the great resources on our municipal partner’s websites:

Middlesex County

City of London

Also consider checking out these local and health-specific resources to learn more about emergency management and public health:

• Find out more about Emergency Management in Ontario: A safe, practiced and prepared Ontario.
• Who is responsible for public health emergencies for Ontario? See Public Health Ontario and The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
• Who is responsible for public health emergencies federally? See Public Health Agency Canada and Health Canada.
• Who is in charge of public health emergency management world-wide? See World Health Organization (WHO).