Luke's Dad

The Diefenbunker
The Diefenbunker was built between 1959 to 1961 across 88 acres and was fully self-sufficient. Nicknamed after the Prime Minister at the time, John G. Diefenbaker, it was able to hold 535 government officials and military for 30 days. It had 4 levels, a full hospital, a large kitchen, a Cabinet room and a bank vault. They could perform any kind of surgery at the time except for open heart and brain.

Over 5000 pounds of steel were used in the building, the ceilings and floors were made of 5 feet thick concrete and the walls were 2 ½ feet. This was to ensure that the building could withstand a 5 megaton atomic blast at 1.8 km. It had over four generators, but only needed two to function at a time. It had an air filtration system in order to cleanse the air from any kind of radiation that could have entered while people were entering the bunker.

Soldiers were told to shoot anyone who tried to enter the Diefenbunker or get onto the land that was not authorized, whether or not they were military

When you enter the Diefenbunker, you go through a set of massive double doors, you then walk down the entry tunnel and enter through two more sets of doors, one of which is solid steel. You strip your clothes and go through the decontamination chamber until you are fully cleansed from the radiation. After you have been approved, you are allowed to enter the bunker. If not, you were left to suffocate on the toxic air.

Upon arriving at the Diefenbunker and seeing his room, Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker asked where his wife and children’s rooms were, the contractor said that if there were ever a nuclear war, only Diefenbaker was allowed inside. His wife and children were not allowed to enter. When told this, Diefenbaker left the tour without completing it, vowing that if the situation did arise, he would rather die with his wife and children than live without them.

Much like how the government handles things today, the concept of survival and rebuilding society would be left with a team of people who were specially trained for each specific situation.

The Interview
1. What is job title for crisis management in the Canadian Government?

Scott is the former deputy detector general of emergency management policy. There is no solo person in charge of crisis management, there are many for individual positions. If there were a major world-wide crisis many parts of the government would come together. Some of the key players would include; chief of the defence staff, the PM national security advisory, the head of forgiven affairs, the head of public safety Canada, and clerk of the privy council.

2. Who would oversee all of this?

The people involved would make up a team, the clerk would advise the PM and the PM would most likely put these people in charge of it all as a team.

3. What does the job entail?

The job is responsible for policy and protocols for emergency management for public safety in Canada, including determining whether or not we are ready for a major crisis.

4. Are you familiar with the prospect of an apocalypse?

Yes, I am familiar with the concept. For me in practical terms it mean a major crisis at a national/ regional/ global, as opposed to a small contained crisis.

''5. Do you think an apocalypse is likely to occur in the near future? HOW?''

No I don't think it will, however if there were to be a major global crisis, it would likely not be of a result of a zombie apocalypse. The more likely sources of a crisis include A) a flu pandemic/ Spanish flu B) major regional conflict/ somewhere like southeast Asia C) bio terrorist attack

6. If an apocalyptic scenario should play out and you were to survive what would your role in rebuilding society be?

1st role: to support the emergency response of the Canadian government 2nd role: as a professional that would include playing a role in helping the coordination in the feral response. The federal response would be primarily the isolate the problem in Canada contain it in Canada and the help our allies in any way we could (would depend on the type of the crisis, e.g. military, resources, science) 3rd role: To protect my family but I would have to do that outside of my professional role. ie get out of major cities

''7. How would you personally go about it? ie airborne pathogen affecting 70% of the population killing 15% on contact and infecting the rest on body fluid transmission ie. zombie like.''

In this case the government would isolate and contain the problem in any way it could. Restricting movement, quarantines. If it was too slow to react or the virus to fast to handle, then it would use science to find a cure.

8. How would the skills you have acquired at that job assist you in a post-apocalyptic world?

Not much, my skills are based on a knowledge based 21st century world. If society were to break down skills would be less relevant in the short term. I would be trained leader able to mobilize people in a common goal. Long term I would help to reconstitute society.

9. Does the Government have its own sector devoted to crisis or apocalyptic preparation and or rebuilding?

No it does not have anything to do with a zombie apocalypse. It does have national security and management apparatus, designed to respond to different types of crises. The type of crises determines which part of the government plays what lead. ei health crisis the public health sector is in charge.

''10. Would the plans for the Government in an apocalyptic event benefit the lower and middle class? who would be prioritized?''

There is no play to priorities between rich and poor. There is a play for what is called the continuity of constitutional government, under that plan every effort would be made to preserve Parliament our elected leaders and our senor levels of the government so that they could continue governing in a crisis.

11. Are you familiar with the Deafen Bunker?

Yes, it was built in the cold war, and was designed for a safe haven in the event of a nuclear attack. It is no longer even operational.

12. Do you feel that the Deafen Bunker would be a safe place to reside if there was an apocalyptic scenario?

No. It was never designed for modern crisis's, and was designed for a nuclear threat.

13. Do you think it would be a suitable place to try and rebuild society?

No, it doesn't have the capability or capacity. It is not a modernized refuge, there are better locations of that I am sure.

14. For you personally what would be the three top priorities in re-constructing society?

1) economy/ especially with energy and food 2) some form of a functioning government 3) an end to the conditions that caused the crisis.

''15. How long do you think it would take for society to bounce back from an apocalyptic tragedy? (give a few different types I.E. zombies, asteroid, war, w/e)''

depends on, nature, the damages. 10-10 000 years from a nuke hitting Ottawa to an asteroid the size of the one that destroyed the dinosaurs causing an ice age

16. What do you think the main challenges of rebuilding society would be?

avoiding anarchy/ getting people to trust one another.