Cobourg, ON - May 12, 2023 - Yesterday, Community Emergency Management Coordinators (CEMCs) from across Northumberland faced off in a ‘Disaster Dining Challenge’ in recognition of Emergency Preparedness Week.
The CEMC participants, which included Fire Chiefs and staff from five local fire departments within Northumberland, were tasked with creating culinary masterpieces with no electricity, using only non-perishable food typically found in a household emergency preparedness kit. Each participant was provided with the same assortment of groceries to work with and had approximately an hour and a half to prepare three dishes for their meal, including an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert.
Township of Alnwick/Haldimand Fire Chief Dave Dawson brought home first place with his ‘Pinwheel Beef Jerky Wrap’ appetizer, an entrée featuring pasta with spaghetti sauce and chicken, and finished it off with a pastry with chocolate sauce for dessert.
All dishes were taste-tested by three emergency preparedness experts and scored by taste, smell, presentation, and creativity. The judging panel included:
- Ken Stubbings - Former (retired) CEMC for Northumberland County
- Colleen McCabe - CEMC for Northumberland County
- Eric Everett - Director, Exercises, Education and Training, Emergency Management Ontario
Based on the judges’ scores, the results of the friendly competition were:
1st Place – Township of Alnwick/Haldimand Fire Chief Dave Dawson
2nd Place – Township of Hamilton Fire Chief Mike Robinson
3rd Place – Municipality of Trent Hills Fire Chief Shawn Jamieson
4th Place – Municipality of Brighton Fire Chief Gene Thompson and Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Hutchinson
5th Place – Town of Cobourg Fire Chief Ellard Beaven and Assistant Heather Monsma
“Emergency Preparedness Week is an opportunity for all Northumberland County residents to take action and ensure they are prepared to protect themselves and their loved ones during an emergency,” states County Emergency Planning Coordinator Terra Boddy. “The Disaster Dining Challenge is a fun way to recognize the week, raise awareness of the importance of having a fully equipped emergency preparedness kit readily available in case of an emergency, and to be creative with how we can use the items in our kit. Thank you to all the participants who competed in the event and congratulations to Fire Chief Dave Dawson for winning the 2023 Disaster Dining Challenge.”
Every household should have a kit readily available with enough supplies to be self-sufficient for at least the first 72 hours of an emergency, including non-perishable food items. To learn more about how to assemble your emergency preparedness kit and for other preparedness tips, visit Northumberland.ca/BePrepared.
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