Over 40 exhibitors will be at Lambton College this weekend for the 15th Emergency Preparedness Day Sarnia-Lambton family-friendly event.
The free function, organized by Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability (BASES), made a comeback last year following a brief hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was really well received," said Senior Communications Advisor Tracy Krull, who said it was also switched from a weekday to a weekend event.
"We really wanted to make it a family event and include the decision makers in the home to receive the emergency information, to make sure it was a family conversation," said Krull. "We had, we figure, between 1,700 and 2,000 people that showed up."
This year's event will be held on Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Krull said they're expecting to have more exhibitors, stationed inside Gym D and out in parking lot 13.
Representatives from Environment and Climate Change Canada will be there to discuss the new colour-coded weather alerting system, Mammoet will have crane demonstrations, and the Ontario Clean Water Agency will have a mobile unit for attendees to fill their water bottles.
Local emergency responders will also be present.
"The focus is to raise awareness of local risks and put the local responding agencies in front of [attendees] to be able to raise some awareness on the resources, training and equipment we have locally," Krull said.
There will also be some kids' activities.
"We have inflatables, there's temporary tattoo artists, face painting by The Painted Cat. There's going to be gifts and giveaways. A lot of different booths have some swag items that people can collect," Krull said. "The first 500 people who show up will also get an EP Day bag, and we have a little surprise for the first 100 moms who show up. Since it's Mother's Day weekend, we wanted to recognize them as well."
The Rotary Club of Sarnia-Lambton will hold a charity barbeque.
"It's $5 for a hamburger or hot dog combo, that comes with chips and a drink as well," Krull said.
There will be golf carts at the event to help shuttle guests to and from the exhibit space.
Emergency Preparedness Week is observed across the country from May 3 to May 9.
Sarnia's Emergency Management team is encouraging families to take this time to prepare a safety plan.
Emergency preparedness includes knowing escape routes, important contact information, having an emergency kit readily available, and reviewing responses to incidents such as floods, chemical spills, fires, and infrastructure disruptions.
The city's home emergency preparedness guide can be found online.
