A former Winnipeg police officer has taken over as co-ordinator of the Emergency Measures Organization for Cartier, St. Francois Xavier and Headingley.

Mitch McCormick, a resident of St. Vital, is the CaSH district’s new emergency measures co-ordinator. He was hired this past January but didn’t take over the post until February. McCormick succeeds former co-ordinator Norm Tchir.

McCormick, who has 27 years of police experience, acknowledged that he has his work cut out for him in his post but is confident he will quickly get a handle on his new responsibilities.

"I think there are challenges because we represent three municipalities, and the real challenge for me is going to be identifying qualified volunteers to assist in the community," he said.

McCormick said maintaining a solid volunteer base will be a critical component of the emergency plan for a region that has dealt with floods and tornados in recent years.

"The only way that an emergency can be successfully dealt with is if the community comes together as a group and manages these disaster events as a cohesive whole," he said. "You really have to rely on volunteers to give up their time."

McCormick is joined by new assistant co-ordinator Karen Timchuk, who lives in the RM of Cartier.

Timchuk said she decided to volunteer with the EMO following last year’s flooding in the region.
"I got involved because of my own experience during the 2011 flood," she said. "I live on Golden Oak Cove which was heavily affected by last year’s flood. Our whole community was underwater and every house had to sandbag their property."

Timchuk said she was fortunate her house wasn’t damaged by last year’s flooding. However, she said the experience made her want to help others in the community who weren’t so fortunate.

"There seemed to be a big gap in what EMO was able to do for us so I thought instead of complaining about how things are run, I thought I should get involved to help change it and make it better," she said.

McCormick said the CaSH district is looking for additional volunteers to fill roles in the region.
For more information on the CaSH district EMO visit www.cashmanitoba.com.

prescott.james@canstarnews.com