FAQ

GPREP is funded by the six municipalities in the partnership. The City of Grande Prairie, County of Grande Prairie, Towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith, Wembley, and the Village of Hythe. The level of contribution per year is based on the size of the municipality.

• For police, ambulance, or fire department: 9-1-1.
• For power outages or electrical emergencies, call ATCO Electric: 1-800-668-5506 (24 hrs).
• For gas line related emergencies or if you smell gas (often described as a “rotten egg” smell), call ATCO Gas: 1-800-511-3447.
• For waterline and sewer-related maintenance, breaks or other emergencies, call Aquatera (only for City of Grande Prairie, Sexsmith, and parts of Clairmont): 780-882-7800 (24 hrs).
• For wildlife related emergencies, call Alberta Fish and Wildlife: 1-800-642-3800 (24 hrs).
• To report a wildfire call Alberta Wildfire: 310-3474 (24 hrs).

GPREP is activated when a large-scale emergency or disaster in the region has the potential to occur, or is occurring. The decision to activate is based on the emergency and its magnitude.

Emergency Social Services (ESS) is an emergency response program that provides for the various short-term needs of evacuees during a large scale emergency or disaster. These short term services (up to 72 hours) are to preserve the emotional and physical well-being of evacuees.

GPREP, or the Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership is a collaboration between six communities to coordinate and plan the emergency response and resources during large-scale emergencies and disasters. We focus on preparing for and responding to disasters.

Once GPREP is activated various responders and staff come together in the emergency coordination centre.  The emergency coordination centre supports the first responders, obtains required resources, manages information and looks at the needs of the entire community/region.

If additional help is required to respond to a disaster, GPREP can call other municipalities for assistance and/or the Province of Alberta. GPREP has mutual aid agreements with other municipalities and regions outlining how we will help each other in the event of an emergency. The Province has specific processes for GPREP to follow if we need additional help.

If you are asked to evacuate, please follow the instructions from emergency personnel. GPREP will not ask you to prepare to leave your home unless there is reason to believe that you are in danger.

The public is notified of an emergency or disaster in a number of ways, such as:

In the event of an emergency, first responders may be busy assisting those in immediate danger. It is recommended that you have an emergency kit that holds supplies to support you and your family for 3 days in an emergency situation.

Dave Barr was selected as the most appropriate site for this program after in-depth evaluation and with consideration of limitations imposed by COVID-19.

The people being housed at Dave Barr Community Centre are vulnerable members of the population in need of support to leave situations of homelessness.

Emergency Management is working on behalf of the orders from the provincial government and Alberta Health Services to provide ongoing care for Grande Prairie’s vulnerable population, to expand capacity to serve this demographic, and help current service providers to maintain social distancing practices by finding additional space to house people.

• Upon arrival at the site, bags are searched, and pockets checked.
• Security guards are always onsite.
• A curfew of 12 AM is enforced. Residents using the cot program may not come and go after 11 p.m.
• Staff are well informed on COVID-19 policies and precautions, they are following their agency requirements and recommendations from Alberta Health Services.
• Staff are screened for symptoms upon arrival to the site to ensure they are not putting the population at further risk.
• Residents are screened before coming to Dave Barr then again upon arrival, no symptomatic clients are staying at the Dave Barr site.
• These precautionary procedures are updated when new recommendations from Alberta Health Services are available.

• Security guards are conducting hourly perimeter checks at the Dave Barr Site.
• Northreach Society’s team is doing hourly checks inside and outside the building and parking lot to minimize the possibility of drug paraphernalia and debris onsite. Checks are also being done by their outreach team and expanded to the community-at-large.
• RCMP and Peace Officers are patrolling the community-at-large more frequently.
• GPREP is in regular contact with the RCMP to ensure any new risks are mitigated as soon as possible.

The cot program provides overnight cots to people at a cost of $10 per night.

The existing cot program at Rotary House has been relocated to Dave Barr Community Centre to allow for the implementation of social distancing as recommended by Alberta Health due to COVID-19.

Call the Northreach Society at 780-832-8548 so they can arrange a safe-disposal or pick-up.

Yes, security guards are onsite 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure safety of the people accessing the program, and the community.

The Centre has capacity for 43 cots at a distance of 6 feet apart. All cots may not be in use at all times.

GPREP remains in close contact with the RCMP. To date, the RCMP have not reported to GPREP an increase in crime or calls when comparing 2019 to 2020.

Drug use is not permitted within Dave Barr, and residents must not be visibly under the influence of any substance. If residents are caught using, they are given a 24-hours ban from the site.