![Male police officer on radio looks at forest fire.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/emergency_1.jpg?sc=db2c506a506cb9b406553590ec975ef3)
Vol. 79, No. 2
Before the call Getting ready to respond in a crisis
Table of contents
Editorial message
![A male police officer walks down a residential street lined with the burnt-out shells of houses and cars, while thick smoke fills the sky.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/fort-mcmurray-ashes.jpg?sc=b7867a6e67d8453ef3f2cee2cd407161)
Readiness isn't built in a day
In this issue of Gazette magazine, we look at what it takes to plan ahead, react with skill and confidence, and improve for the next unthinkable event.
News notes
![Portrait of teenage girl.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/cold_case_0.jpg?sc=be43371d3a56f864f639fb7a6e28c6c5)
Tweets give murder victim a voice
On Oct. 16, 2016, 15-year-old Kerrie Ann Brown tweeted throughout the day like a typical teenager when she took over the RCMP Manitoba Twitter account. Only she isn't typical — she's been dead for 30 years.
![Two police officers look at person sleeping on bench in bus shelter at night.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/fatigue.jpg?sc=93d0e030d66efc87d9d457ef6c108b5a)
Study addresses sleepless cops
The mention of working a graveyard shift is enough to make any police officer yawn. Long hours, late nights and responding to stressful calls can be a recipe for fatigue among front-line officers.
![Police officer watches another officer shoot a gun.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/haiti-simulator-1.jpg?sc=2398daa957e225afc5b822c4f8a5dc1f)
Virtual shooting helps police in Haiti
In Haiti, bullets are a precious commodity. Police officers are responsible for buying their own ammunition, which can limit the amount of firearms training officers receive.
![Woman stands in front of class of students holding cellphones.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/app.jpg?sc=7fc4a8aba13249dbc7d6d8f5b3cae5ac)
Drug app a useful tool for youth, parents
Two years ago, the RCMP in Quebec's Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Service (DOCAS) and Communications Office developed an app that would serve as a credible source about drugs.
Cover stories
![Two women and two men sit at a table](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/first-nation-evacuation.jpg?sc=863103040bb9f209da407a21bef6f79a)
'More prepared than yesterday'
Cpl. Martin Reed knocked on the door of a home in Chateh, Alta. The RCMP officer explained that a pipeline had burst, and the First Nation community was evacuating.
![Police officers walk down debris-filled street.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/hurricane.jpg?sc=2ecd1d9323216eec84067597f10e6c54)
The eye of the storm
As an easterner, Sgt. Dan Gaudet had been through a couple of hurricanes in his day, but those storms didn't compare with what he experienced when Hurricane Matthew pummelled the coastal town of Jérémie, Haiti, where he was stationed.
![Two police officers with horses.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/pet_rescue_horses.jpg?sc=56a3f322deeabbe69485c744f2191350)
Left behind
Just days after a forest fire caused the evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alta., a truck with a horse trailer drove up to one of the road blocks guarded by the RCMP.
![Police car in front of a school.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/safe.jpg?sc=cbe3d3d90782dc45116aacd235bef45c)
Safety in schools
Lockdown. Lockdown. Lockdown. This one word repeated three times sets an entire school in motion.
![RCMP officer walks on road near forest fire.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/editorial_4.jpg?sc=aba97cfefb77c215469e8056b454d647)
Saving Fort McMurray
On May 1, 2016, the Wood Buffalo RCMP detachment was bracing for a disaster. Two massive forest fires burning north and south of Fort McMurray, Alta. were slowly creeping towards the city.
![Police officer kneels with gun](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/active-shooter-2.jpg?sc=4294294630f577262df98f5feb3dd558)
Heightened awareness
A man approaches the RCMP's commercial crimes building in Montreal, Que., attracting a few suspicious glances. He slips through an open back door, then starts shooting.
![RCMP officers lift packs of water bottles off of a truck.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/fort-mcmurray-3.jpg?sc=759e7797d80a84837c0b00bff1d3f149)
A mental health checkpoint
After four days of non-stop work evacuating and patrolling the burning city of Fort McMurray, all RCMP employees from the Wood Buffalo detachment were called to meet in Edmonton.
External submissions
![Paramedics push people on gurneys.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/vulnerable.jpg?sc=d9735ff592933b741a0d662803477c53)
Vulnerable communities
One of the greatest assets for first responders in Canada is the strong sense of community within each hamlet, town and city across the country.
![Three police officers on bikes near flood.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/calgary_police.jpg?sc=fa5f1c57583d6c4c9ea0d1d06757750b)
Communication critical
In June 2013, Calgary along with much of southern Alberta was hit by some of the worst flooding witnessed in over 100 years.
Panel discussion
![RCMP vehicle parked next to forest fire.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/panel_discussion_2.jpg?sc=2392a23280585c2b2d27419ccf05da3f)
How can police be best prepared for emergencies?
Responding to emergency incidents like natural disasters and shootings can be stressful on a number of levels. But how can first responders and other employees prepare ahead?
Ask an expert
![Portrait of a man.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/ask_an_expert.jpg?sc=97c20f4d199147972ebfdb10895177b9)
Just keep digging
Acting Sergeant Raymond Payette joined the Vancouver Police Department's Missing Persons Unit seven years ago. He has a clearance rate of 99.99 per cent and earned a reputation as an expert in missing person's investigations across Canada. He spoke with D
Just the facts
![Pregnant woman's belly.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/just-the-facts_0.jpg?sc=e3b77e8262a6342b26a41bb93207d753)
Surrogacy
The surrogacy debate is at the intersection of law, ethics, science and public policy, prompting countries to take different stances on the controversial topic.
On the leading edge
![Hands exchange money for white pills.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/leading-edge.jpg?sc=ce7b03d0c69f86663f9dad34f845f6b2)
Latest research in law enforcement
The following are excerpts from recent research related to justice and law enforcement and reflect the views and opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the organizations for which they work.
New technology
![Smartphone and lockbox displayed on a table.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/lockbox.jpg?sc=7beca39e6529af3a10c364f5e2dc7c94)
Access granted
For first responders, getting into the locked front door of an apartment building can be a challenge, especially when seconds count.
Featured submission
![RCMP officers hold replica guns in hallway.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/iard.jpg?sc=015b3a97cc9d247cbdbe4b8367b38466)
Stopping an active shooter
At Depot, the RCMP's training academy in Saskatchewan, Immediate Action Rapid Deployment (IARD) training has been updated to teach officers how to best respond to an armed active threat similar to those faced during the Mayerthorpe, Alta., Moncton, N.B.,
![Two firefighters treat injured person near airplane crash.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/disaster_plane.jpg?sc=c1d46e3bba969c8f703cf7a50c31688f)
Getting real
Recent disasters in Canada and around the world have shown that all first responder agencies need to be properly trained and equipped to handle them
Best practice
![(Left) Garage with old junk; (Right) Man on stationary bike in gym.](/sites/default/files/styles/gazette_crop/public/gym3.jpg?sc=df99ea8c5a1c1152e1df7a2c8f5a386a)
Making fit happen
A snowblower, old tools and some garbage bags filled an old garage at the Kindersley, Sask., RCMP detachment. For many years — decades even — the single-car garage had been a dumping ground for things nobody knew what to do with.
![Cover of magazine](/sites/default/files/cover-eng.jpg)
NOTE: An electronic version of this issue of Gazette magazine is available.
Masthead
- Publisher:
- Nancy Sample
- Editor:
-
- Katherine Aldred
- Writers:
-
- Deidre Seiden
Amelia Thatcher
- Deidre Seiden
- Web publisher:
- Richard Vieira
- Graphic design:
- Lisa McDonald-Bourg
- Translation:
- RCMP Translation Services
- Printing:
- St. Joseph Communications
- Date modified: