Photo: The Three Hills community center welcomed nearly 100 participants last week for two days of emergency preparedness teaching and planning exercises. Submitted Kneehill County

The get-your-ducks-in-a-row cliche is well worn, but when disaster strikes, it's an expression you should have committed to memory.

Last week's two-day emergency management training exercise, held on June 3 in Three Hills was more complex than reciting a cliche, but scenarios discussed and lessons learned were designed to save lives and property.

Better put: the sessions, involving close to one hundred participants from Three Hills, Trochu, Acme, Linden, Carbon and as far away as Drumheller, tested and strengthened regional emergency coordination, decision making, and communication.

Funded by the Alberta Emergency Management Preparedness Program, the networking and sessions, which were not open to the public, saw participants work together to be ready for whatever calamity—natural or human caused—comes our way.