The organization representing municipalities along the Highway 11 northern corridor are trying to mesh their emergency management plans, to improve highway safety.
Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association president and Cochrane mayor Peter Politis says a series of think tanks will involve all the emergency management coordinators, the OPP, the province, mayors and administrators.
“Now, we’re going to put our heads together, problem solve and try to evolve the process,” he says, “so that when a decision is made to close a road on a highway, it’s through a more formal protocol that actually connects the emergency management plans that we all have.”
“Can our ambulances still get through these lines to the hospital? Can a fire truck still get out to do their fire calls? Can anybody get out to help any of those folks who might get sick or have a health issue while they’re caught up in that line in frigid temperatures to protect their safety?”
Right now, the municipalities can’t say yes, Politis states, because the connections are missing, and that creates anxiety.
