Strathcona County continues to score high on overall community safety

In pursuit of its goal of becoming Canada’s most livable community, administration presented a review of Strathcona County’s security measures to Council members on April 16, 2019.

“Safety is always number one, and our goal as a community is to balance open public gathering spaces with an appropriate level of security measures,” says Mayor Rod Frank. “It is a delicate balance that we pay very close attention to, and make adjustments as our community’s needs shift and grow. I am extremely proud of the professionalism of our RCMP, firefighters and paramedics; and their unwavering commitment to our community’s safety.”

In addition to being listed as Alberta’s second safest community (population over 10,000, according to the Crime Severity Index), 88 per cent of surveyed residents agreed that Strathcona County is a safe place to live (2017 resident satisfaction survey).

The County regularly partners with experts and staff to conduct Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) reviews to ensure its buildings, staff and residents are safe. In addition, RCMP and Enforcement Services have dedicated emergency response plans in place to address complex scenarios.  County staff are provided emergency training (according to their job duties), as well as through the internationally-recognized Incident Command System (ICS).

As part of its commitment to excellence, Strathcona County continually evaluates its approach to identify learnings towards any improvements. Emergency Management best practices include conducting after action reviews and reports to critically examine the municipality’s response and recovery from large incidents.

Following the unprecedented explosions in the Community Centre on November 6, 2018, Strathcona County is commissioning an After Action report from an external, independent third party. The intent of the After Action report is to ensure an impartial examination of the response to the Community Centre incident so that Strathcona County can identify and understand its response strengths and any areas for improvement. This information can be used to further response and business continuity plans across the organization. The After Action report will focus on the County’s response and recovery roles. Investigative activities conducted by the RCMP will be out of the report’s scope. The report is expected to be presented to Priorities Committee by the end of 2019.

Set in the centre of Alberta’s energy and agricultural heartland, Strathcona County is a thriving, successful and vibrant community of over 98,000 residents. Strathcona County is made up of the urban area of Sherwood Park and a large adjacent rural area of farms, acreages and smaller hamlets. It is home to 75 per cent of hydrocarbon processing in Western Canada. Strathcona County is a leader in environmental conservation, and 55 per cent of its land is within the UNESCO Beaver Hills Biosphere. With a focus on economic, governance, social, cultural and environmental sustainability, Strathcona County is committed to balancing the unique needs of its diverse community.

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Contact: Strathcona County Communications, 780-410-6595