Planning for the Unthinkable

Natural disasters. Hazardous material spills. Aircraft emergencies. Active shooters. These are but a few examples of the many scenarios that the Richmond RCMP plan for on a regular basis. The idea is to hone our systems and methodically find areas where we can improve our response. Further, we want to ingrain those lessons as muscle memory.

The importance of being prepared can never be overstated. Our officers are collaborating, sharing, and incorporating the best practices found all over the globe. We conduct internal exercises and we are part of large scale exercises with multiple outside agencies. This in turn makes our community safer and more importantly, better prepared. The world is not the same place as it once was.

Practical scenarios. Tabletop exercises. Ironing out the small details. “With the ultimate goal of enhancing public and police safety, the Richmond Detachment Emergency Planning Unit is responsible for preparing Detachment personnel to respond to critical incidents involving natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, and epidemics, as well as human-induced emergencies, such as hazardous material spills and active shooter attacks,” says Sgt. Dave, Richmond RCMP Emergency Planning NCO. “The Detachment is always looking to afford our frontline personnel, the opportunities to rehearse practical skills surrounding threat suppression, casualty care, as well as command and control techniques essential to effective response outcomes. Operations-based exercises are ideal platforms for creating such opportunity” notes Sgt. Edge. We wish to thank the many different organizations that have also seen the value of preparedness and have shared, collaborated and offered their facilities in order to help us train and achieve success in adverse scenarios.