As evacuees from the Fort McMurray wildfire return to their homes and community recovery continues, we are visibly reminded of the importance of planning for emergencies. In British Columbia, as part of the province’s efforts in preparing for an impending earthquake, Exercise Coastal Response, Western Canada’s largest earthquake and tsunami response exercise, was held last week from June 7 to 10, 2016. To organize and execute response, recovery and verification events, it is important to obtain guidance from a standard that presents best practice in emergency and business continuity management. One such standard is CSA Z1600 Emergency and continuity management program.