City of Mississauga Recognized with Two Prestigious Emergency Management Awards

The City of Mississauga’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was recently recognized with two prestigious awards for outstanding efforts made in fostering resilience and preventing, preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies and disasters.

The City has received the following awards:

• 2022 Prepared Community Award, presented by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) – Canadian Chapter, and the
• Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award – Resilient Communities, presented by Public Safety Canada and the Senior Officers Responsible for Emergency Management (SOREM).

“I am proud of the work our Office of Emergency Management does under the leadership of Deryn Rizzi, Mississauga’s Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “These awards recognize the team’s excellence in their field and also that of senior City leaders and business areas that work together to prepare and ready us for the unthinkable, who respond when disaster and emergencies strike and support us through recovery. On behalf of my colleagues on Council, I congratulate our Office of Emergency Management on their achievements.”

2022 Prepared Community Award

This award recognizes a Canadian community that has enhanced public safety through comprehensive emergency planning and risk reduction. The City of Mississauga was chosen for its dedication to strengthening social and physical capacity across all the pillars of emergency management – prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award

The Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award is a partnership between provincial, territorial and federal governments and recognizes recipients who have achieved excellence in their respective fields. The City of Mississauga was chosen for the work done as a result of the City’s Emergency Management Program (EMP), which included:

• resiliency demonstrated through supportive responses to various emergencies (fires, flooding and storms) and quickly adapting to unforeseen circumstances as shown by the development of Mississauga’s COVID-19 Framework in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
• maintaining, improving and constructing new stormwater infrastructure using funding support provided by Canada’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund
• educating the public and school children on the importance of emergency preparedness throughout the year, and in particular during key times such as Emergency Preparedness Week and Fire Prevention Week

“In Mississauga, throughout Canada and around the world, we have seen the devastation that can be caused by extreme weather events such as floods, fires, ice and wind storms. We’ve seen the toll they can take on our communities. That is why we ensure resiliency planning and mitigation remains at the core of all our emergency management plans and programs,” said Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management Deryn Rizzi. “We are working hard to reduce the impact emergencies have on our community through actions like strengthening our stormwater infrastructure assets, increasing public education and community outreach and developing contingency plans for our most critical risks.”

Quick Facts about Emergency Management in Mississauga

• The City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) assesses 49 potential hazards that could impact the City and its residents through its Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment program.
• The OEM consistently provide emergency management training sessions to City staff, local and regional stakeholders, and first responders to support the City’s preparedness efforts. In 2022 alone, over 120 City employees and external partners were provided with emergency management training.
• The City fosters social resilience amongst the residents of Mississauga through various emergency preparedness public education campaigns. In the 2021 – 2022 school year alone, the OEM was able to present to over 2000 students.
• The OEM consistently collaborate with all levels of government, conservation authorities, local industry, and other partners to ensure a holistic approach to emergency preparedness and community resilience.

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Media Contact:
City of Mississauga Media Relations
media@mississauga.ca
905-615-3200, ext. 5232
TTY: 905-896-5151

Tags

• Emergency and Preparedness
• Fire and Emergency Services