Pigeon Lake RegionalEmergency Management Agency

During an emergency

Stay calm, put your plan into action and follow the instructions of officials.

When to call 9-1-1

Call 9-1-1 when a life, a person's health or property is in immediate danger: a fire, a medical emergency, a crime in progress, someone in trouble on the water or ice, or a downed power line that is sparking or blocking a road.

  • Know your civic address and Summer Village. Lake addresses can be hard for dispatchers to find. Post your address where guests can see it.
  • If you can't speak, stay on the line. If you call by mistake, stay on the line and say so.
  • To report a wildfire or suspicious smoke, call 310-FIRE (3473), toll-free, 24 hours. If a fire is threatening people or buildings, call 9-1-1.
  • For non-urgent health advice, call Health Link at 811.

Alerts and official information

Alberta Emergency Alert is the one that matters most.

Evacuation alerts, evacuation orders and shelter-in-place instructions for the Pigeon Lake Summer Villages are issued through Alberta Emergency Alert. If you hear about an emergency from any other source, check Alberta Emergency Alert for the official instruction.

1. Alberta Emergency Alert: life-safety instructions

  • On your phone automatically: critical alerts sound on compatible cell phones in the affected area. You don't need to sign up and you can't opt out.
  • In the free app: install Alberta Emergency Alert for iPhone or Android and turn on notifications. The app also shows advisory alerts and the full details of each alert, including the affected area, the evacuation route and the reception centre.
  • On radio and TV: alerts interrupt local broadcasts. Keep a battery or crank radio in your kit in case the power and cell service are down.

Alerts are either Critical (take action now to protect your life, such as evacuating) or Advisory (be ready for a possible threat). Province-wide tests are sent in May and November.

2. Alertable: local Summer Village notices

The Summer Villages use Alertable to send community notices such as road closures, utility work, fire bans, severe weather and other local information. It is free, and you choose how you get notices:

  • by text message, email or phone call
  • in the Alertable app for iPhone or Android
  • on a home smart speaker

You can add more than one location, for example your cottage at the lake and your home in the city. You can also choose which types of notice you want, and let urgent ones override silent mode.

Sign up for Alertable

Alertable is in addition to Alberta Emergency Alert, not a replacement. Keep the Alberta Emergency Alert app installed even if you use Alertable.

3. Officials at your door

During an evacuation, emergency personnel may also go door to door. Follow their instructions.

Be careful with social media and rumours.

Share only information that comes from official sources, and check the time and date on anything you see. Old posts circulate quickly during an emergency.

In a major emergency

  1. Make sure you are safe before helping others.
  2. Put your household plan into action and take your 72-hour kit.
  3. Listen for official instructions and follow them, whether that is to shelter in place or evacuate.
  4. Check on neighbours, especially those who may need extra help.
  5. Keep phone calls short and use text messages, so lines stay open for emergency calls.
  6. Stay off the roads unless you are told to leave, so emergency vehicles can get through.

Shelter in place

Sometimes it is safer to stay where you are than to leave, for example during a severe storm, heavy wildfire smoke, or a chemical or gas release from a spill. When you are told to shelter in place:

For a hazardous air release (smoke, gas or chemicals)

For a tornado or severe windstorm

More from the Province: Shelter in place for severe weather and hazardous air.