Members of the Southern Emergency Response Committee (SERC) recently had the opportunity to learn more about emergency response planning at the Manitoba Disaster

Some of the SERC volunteers participating in Ground Search & Rescue refresher trainingManagement Conference in Winnipeg.

Highlighted topics at the conference included the wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alta., the attack at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Fla., front lines of disaster zones around the world, and tornado and thunderstorm safety.

Though there were many topics of discussion, deputy emergency coordinator for SERC Darren Driedger said something that stuck out to him at the conference was the reminder to be accommodating during emergencies.

“Certainly have your plans ready, but you can never prepare for every last contingency or detail... you have to be able to adapt, be flexible, and kind of improvise as needed... to meet all the challenges that might come up,” said Driedger.

After returning from the conference Driedger assessed the status of the committee's progress and plans. He said although there is always room for improvement, they have a good program in place considering the size of the communities SERC covers, which are primarily the R.M. of Stanley, the City of Winkler and the City of Morden.

Driedger said SERC plans to implement some of the things it learned at the conference into its own plans to improve the flow of emergency response during future disasters.