Emergency Planning for Events
Be prepared for potential emergencies including overdoses and extreme weather.
Overdose Prevention and Naloxone
- Teach event staff about the signs and symptoms of an overdose and what to do if an overdose occurs.
- Include naloxone kits in your first aid kits to help prevent opioid overdoses.
- Report an overdose using the Overdose Reporting Tool.
- See Overdose Prevention and Naloxone, Opioid Community Response, Opioids, and Crystal Meth.
- For more information and support, contact [email protected] or call 1-800-660-5853 and ask for Harm Reduction.
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
- Climate change is resulting in more extreme weather.
- Use climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies to reduce the emissions of your event and manage the negative impacts of climate change. Try offering local foods, minimizing single use plastics, and encouraging people to walk or cycle to your event.
- Plan for extreme weather events that are likely to affect our communities.
- Based on the time of year for your event, share sun safety practices and ways to protect yourself from hot and cold temperatures with event participants and staff.
- If your event is taking place on days of high heat:
- Provide an indoor air conditioned space for cooling off.
- Host outdoor events in shaded areas and outside of times when the sun is strongest (11:00am-3:00pm).
- Promote and provide free water access.
- Plan for what to do if participants and/or staff get heat stroke or stress. Keep ice packs and the Health Checks during Extreme Heat Events Checklist in your first aid kits.
- If possible, decide on a back up date for your event early on in the planning process.
- Monitor the forecasted weather for your event. If you are expecting extreme weather to occur before or during your event, consider whether your event should:
- go ahead as planned
- go ahead with modifications
- be rescheduled or
- cancelled
The following resources may assist you in making this decision:
- Criteria for Environment Canada Weather Alerts
- UV Index
- Air Quality and Health Index (If an AQHI of 7+ is forecasted, consider the activities you are offering and the needs of your participants and/or spectators. Modify or limit outdoor activities, if necessary.)
When something big happens, like a destructive storm, mental health and well being are affected. Support others with responding to stressful life events.