In an emergency, the City of Lethbridge’s Emergency Social Services (ESS) team offers a coordinated and compassionate response.
This week is Emergency Preparedness Week with the theme “In It Together,” which reflects the important role volunteers, neighbours, and community partners play in helping people during emergencies.
The City’s ESS program focuses on year-round training and teamwork to help volunteers prepare for real emergencies. Volunteers take part in monthly Lunch and Learn sessions, hands-on training and full-scale exercises that build confidence and strengthen response skills.
Recent training activities included a full-scale ESS exercise held at the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization (LSCO) with support from the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) and Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services.
The exercise simulated the arrival of evacuees following a large wildfire. The training gave volunteers the opportunity to practice setting up and operating an ESS Registration Centre.
During emergencies, ESS volunteers help people displaced from their homes access short-term supports, including lodging, food, clothing, emotional support and connections to other community resources.
“We’re not just building a volunteer list – we’re building a team,” said Emergency Planning Administrator Jamie Anderson. “Preparedness starts before an emergency happens. Training together helps volunteers build relationships, strengthen their skills and understand how to support people during difficult situations.”
Training exercises also give volunteers the opportunity to practice communication and problem-solving in realistic scenarios. This builds stronger connections between partner agencies and organizations.
“Emergency preparedness is strongest when people work together,” added Anderson. “Our volunteers play an important role in helping the community during challenging times.”
Currently, the team is recruiting new volunteers. “Right now, there’s about 70. We have about 35 to 40 that are really engaged,” Anderson noted.
According to Anderson, there’s a large-scale multi-agency tabletop exercise coming up. “We’re bringing different groups together and saying how do each of us respond, so we know how we fit together when it comes time for response.”
Residents interested in volunteering can visit lethbridge.ca/ESS.
