About Jackie

It had been a long night for the families forced to flee their homes to safety. The panic and fear on their faces were heartbreaking as they waited to hear what would happen next. Families were trying to comfort their kids in these difficult times, people were clinging tightly to their pets, and many were staring into space, trying to understand what was happening and trying to figure out what to do now that they couldn’t return home.

I look up to see another family come through the doors of the Evacuation Centre. With the threat of communities having to evacuate due to the raging forest fires, Evacuation Centers were activated to provide a safe place to seek shelter.

The sad reality was that many of these families were not prepared. These families didn’t have a disaster plan! Many were caught entirely off guard, wondering where to go and what to do. Very few had the supplies they needed to get them through the coming days. But the most challenging for these families was not knowing if they would have a home to return to. What would they do then – what would happen to their family, jobs, and life?

I am Jackie Kloosterboer, a Disaster Preparedness Specialist. I specialize in both Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Support Services (ESS). The two opposite ends of the spectrum, but I firmly believe that families prepared for disasters will better survive in the aftermath.

In 2022 I celebrated 25 years of working with ESS on the front lines of disasters. I have worked with many families helping them through these difficult times. I have seen the panic and the devastation caused when families lose their homes and belongings to floods, forest fires, or house fires. Many times if these families had a disaster plan, they could be in a much better situation.

Seeing the helplessness of these families is what got me into my journey of helping families achieve Peace of Mind by being prepared. Being prepared is not difficult, but often it’s hard to know where to start.

That is where I can help you and your family get prepared. I will lead you step-by-step through the process to ensure you, your family and your pets have what you need to be prepared for whatever disaster may come your way.

Disaster Preparedness Workshops can be done online or in person. In June 2023, I will launch my online course. A Home Visit is also available, where I will come to your home (virtually) and work with you to create your family’s Disaster Plan.

For communities looking for ESS support to develop or update their ESS plans or facilitate an ESS exercise to train their responders – I can help with that. Check out our free monthly ESSD and ESS Responder calls.