The images of Jasper burning were impossible to ignore.

Smoke blanketed the mountains. Entire neighbourhoods were consumed by fire. Residents, visitors, and seasonal workers left Jasper under an evacuation order, uncertain of what they would return to. Within days, approximately 25,000 people had been safely evacuated, and nearly one-third of the community’s structures were destroyed. For many Canadians, the wildfire transformed emergency management from an abstract concept into a reality unfolding on television screens across the country. Parks Canada later confirmed that approximately 30% of Jasper’s structures had been lost.

The lessons from Jasper remain just as relevant today. Across Canada, the 2026 wildfire season continues to affect multiple provinces, with hundreds of active wildfires, evacuation orders, and prolonged smoke events reminding organizations that large-scale emergencies are no longer isolated events. They are becoming an increasingly frequent operational reality.

Public Safety Canada defines emergency management as four interconnected pillars: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Response often receives the greatest attention, but it is the quality of the preparation beforehand that largely determines how effectively an organization responds when an emergency occurs.

Preparedness Begins Long Before the Emergency

One of the most common misconceptions about emergency management is that preparedness begins with writing an Emergency Response Plan (ERP).

A documented plan is important, but it is only one component of an effective emergency management program. During an emergency, organizations need far more than written procedures. They need established leadership, defined decision-making authority, reliable communication processes, coordinated resource management, and personnel who understand exactly what is expected of them. Those capabilities cannot be developed while an incident is already unfolding.

Preparedness begins with understanding risk.

A well-informed Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) process help organizations identify the hazards most likely to affect their operations and prioritize planning accordingly. For one organization, the greatest threat may be wildfire or flooding. For another, it may be a hazardous materials release, cyberattack, prolonged power outage, or critical infrastructure failure. Effective emergency planning reflects the realities of the organization rather than relying on generic “one-size-fits-all” procedures.

The Jasper wildfire demonstrated how quickly conditions can change. Multiple fires ignited on July 22, 2024, during a period of extreme fire danger, and the situation escalated rapidly. Managing the incident required coordination among Parks Canada, Alberta Wildfire, the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP, municipal fire departments and numerous other supporting organizations. That level of coordination is only possible when governance, roles, responsibilities and communication processes have been established before an emergency begins.

A Plan That Isn’t Tested Is Only a Theory

Even the most comprehensive emergency plan has limited value if it has never been exercised.

Emergency exercises validate more than procedures – they validate people, communication, and decision-making. They reveal outdated contact information, unclear responsibilities, resource limitations, challenges and assumptions that may not hold true during an actual emergency.

Tabletop exercises allow leadership teams to work through realistic scenarios and discuss the decisions they would make before facing those pressures in real life. Functional and full-scale exercises further test communications, coordination, and operational capability. Every exercise presents an opportunity to identify weaknesses while there is still time to correct them.

Public Safety Canada’s review of recent wildfire seasons identified preparedness, coordination, communication, governance, and situational awareness as recurring priorities for strengthening Canada’s emergency management system. Those findings apply just as readily to individual organizations. Emergency management depends on systems, relationships, and leadership that have already been established before assistance is urgently required.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of exercising a plan is confidence. When people have already practised their roles, they are better prepared to make timely, informed decisions when conditions become uncertain.

Resilience Is Built Before It’s Needed

The recovery of Jasper continues today. Rebuilding homes, infrastructure, businesses, and public services will take years, illustrating that recovery is not the end of an emergency. Instead, it’s one of its longest phases.

For organizations, the lesson is clear.

Emergency preparedness is not measured by the existence of a plan stored on a shelf. It is measured by whether people understand their roles, whether leadership can make informed decisions under pressure, and whether the organization has invested the time to prepare before an emergency occurs.

The Jasper wildfire, together with the ongoing wildfire activity affecting communities across Ontario and British Columbia, demonstrates that emergencies are becoming increasingly complex and disruptive. Organizations cannot predict exactly when the next emergency will occur, but they can influence how prepared they will be when it does.

Preparedness is a capability. The organizations that invest in that capability today will be better positioned to protect people, maintain critical operations, and recover more effectively tomorrow.