The City of London along with community partners and first responders will hold an emergency field exercise in and around Labatt Brewery and Harris Park on Thursday, June 17. This exercise will be used to test the Labatt Emergency Notification Siren and improve on emergency plans.
The City of London, London Police, London Fire, Middlesex-London Paramedic Service and Labatt Brewery will take part in the exercise, which will take place in the vicinity of Labatt Brewery. This exercise will test elements of the City’s emergency planning in the areas of preparedness, response and recovery.
First responders and community partners will be involved in the emergency exercise, which will include the use of London Fire Department’s Hazmat Team, Labatt Brewery’s Hazmat Team and emergency vehicles. The exercise will also include the use of the Labatt Emergency Notification Siren, which will sound an alarm for approximately three minutes on the day of the event between 9 and 10 a.m. Residents living within 2 kilometres of Labatt Brewery will hear the siren. The siren is loud and will be audible to both humans and animals. If you have a pet that is sensitive to loud noises, you may want to ensure your pet is inside and take any extra precautions during the three minutes the alarm sounds.
The areas around Labatt Brewery, Harris Park and Carfrae Park will be closed to the public between 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday.
From a distance, residents may notice a large number of emergency response vehicles, support vehicles and first responders in the area. The public does not need to call 9-1-1 for activities at that site or related to the emergency exercise on Thursday, June 17 between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Residents in need of emergency assistance should continue to call 9-1-1.
“London’s Emergency Management Program works to reduce the impact of crisis before, during and after an event,” says Dave O’Brien, Director of Emergency Management and Security and the City of London. “Our team work with our community partners is part of our ongoing commitment to be better prepared should an emergency occur, so we can work as quickly as possible to protect our citizens. When it comes to safety, we are all aligned.”
Media Access:
If you are interested in capturing images of the exercise, media will have access from the Southeast corner of Talbot Street and Horton Street East from 8:30 a.m. until 9:15 a.m.
To reduce potential disruption during the exercise, media are asked to follow instructions from the site media liaison about access points and interviews. Andre Beauregard, Manager of Emergency Management at the City of London, and Alex Martel, London Brewery Senior General Manager at Labatt Brewery, will both be available to speak to the media prior to the exercise beginning.
Public parking is available at Municipal Parking Lot #12, located at 199 Ridout Street North.