Emergency Preparedness

Recent significant events, such as the 1998 ice storm, 9/11 terrorist attacks, SARS, the August 2003 Power Outage and the 2004 Tsunami have all contributed to an increased awareness of the need for appropriate public safety measures. Everyone is responsible for the health, safety, and well being of our community.

All municipalities, large or small, are vulnerable to major community emergencies such as tornadoes, floods, blizzards, and power outages. When an emergency of this scale occurs, local municipalities are usually the first level of government to respond. However, municipalities are not alone in emergency response. Being prepared, as an individual citizen, and knowing what to do and what to expect will help you and your family to cope until help arrives, should an emergency or disaster affect your community.

Emergency Management:

Fire Chief Stephen Laforet portrait


The City of Windsor has appointed Fire Chief Stephen Laforet as the Community Emergency Management Coordinator, along with an alternate, to assist the City's Emergency Management Program Committee with the development, implementation and maintenance of emergency management programs in the city. In the event of a local emergency, the City of Windsor Emergency Response Plan will be implemented by a team of trained individuals drawn from all sectors of the City. Copies of the Emergency Response Plan may be viewed at, City Hall, Fire Headquarters, City Libraries or the Windsor Fire & Rescue Services website.

The information in this guide is intended to provide you with basic information about emergency management, contact information, some of the key hazard risks for your community and some precautionary measures and planning checklists to help you and your family to prepare your own emergency plan.

These web pages, which have been prepared with the guidance and support of your local municipality, City of Windsor Fire & Rescue Services, Windsor Police Service, Land Ambulance, Essex Region Conservation Authority and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, are intended to provide you with some basic emergency management information and tools to help you prepare yourself and your family. In addition, we acknowledge the following sources of information: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, Environment Canada, Emergency Management Ontario, and the Ministry of Transportation.

Emergency Preparedness GuideEmergency Preparedness Guide for People with Disabilities/Special Needs