Report to/Rapport au:
Community and
Protective Services Committee
Comité des services communautaires et de protection
and Council / et au Conseil
30 March 2007 / le 30 mars 2007
Submitted by/Soumis par: Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager/Directeur
municipal adjoint,
Community and Protective
Services/Services communautaires et de protection
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Donna Gray, Manager
Strategic Initiatives and Business Planning/
Gest, Initiatives strat & Planif activ
(613) 580-2424 x25684, Donna.Gray@ottawa.ca
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Community and Protective Services Committee recommend that Council waive Subsection 41(4) of By-law No. 50 of 2000, as amended, and approve the donation of one (1) ambulance to the Salvation Army Community and Emergency Response Team.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité des
services communautaires et de protection recommande au Conseil de surseoir au
paragraphe 41(4) du Règlement no 50 de 2000, modifié, et d’approuver
le don d’une (1) ambulance à l’équipe d’intervention communautaire et d’urgence
de l’Armée du Salut.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Salvation Army has approached
the city to request a decommissioned ambulance that could be used as a mobile
office/command post where victims can be taken to get out of the elements
(cold, snow, rain and heat) to get away from people and have the opportunity to
talk in a private, confidential place to meet with their insurance company,
spiritual leader and interventionists to discuss their private issues.
Ottawa Paramedic staff has identified a 2001 ambulance with a residual
value of approximately $5,000 that is about to be decommissioned and could be
donated to the Salvation Army C.E.R.T.
RÉSUMÉ
L’Armée du Salut a
demandé à la Ville si une ambulance retirée du service pourrait être utilisée
comme bureau mobile / poste de commandement où les victimes seraient mises à
l’abri des éléments (froid, neige, pluie, chaleur) et isolées des autres
personnes pour pouvoir parler de leur situation en toute confiance et en privé
avec le représentant de leur compagnie d’assurance, leur directeur spirituel et
les intervenants.
Le personnel du
Service paramédic d’Ottawa a trouvé une ambulance de 2001 ayant une valeur
résiduelle d’environ 5 000 $ qui est sur le point d’être retirée du
service et qui pourrait être donnée à l’équipe d’intervention communautaire et
d’urgence de l’Armée du Salut.
BACKGROUND
The
Salvation Army Community and Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) are on-call, 24
hours a day, seven days a week, ready to deploy within minutes of getting a
call. This team is a key partner in the
Partnership for Personal Disaster Assistance (PPDA) agreement between Ottawa
Fire Service, Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Police Victim Crisis Unit and the
Red Cross. This partnership is designed
to provide victims with professional, rapid support and intervention while at
the same time allowing the emergency services the opportunity to concentrate
their efforts on the tasks at hand.
As
per a Memorandum of Understanding, the Salvation Army C.E.R.T. are responsible
for the following victim assistance:
· Needs Assessments
· Food Assistance
· Clothing (through Thrift Stores)
· Lodging Assistance
· Emotional Support
· Collection of donated goods and
clothing
· Referrals
· Auxiliary Rehabilitation Services to
Ottawa Fire Services
In
2006 The Salvation Army C.E.R.T. reported the following statistical data.
Responded
to:
¨ 058 calls
¨ 094 households
¨ 193 hours spent assisting victims
¨ 714 people
Documentation
shows that the Ottawa Salvation Army
C.E.R.T. reported more calls than any other Salvation Army emergency
response program anywhere else in Canada. (from October 8, 2006 til January 2,
2007)
The
Salvation Army reports that while responding to a call it is not unusual to
witness a victim lose all of their personal/prized possessions as they go up in
flames. The Salvation Army and Red
Cross provide support to the victims during this devastating time. A neighbor usually will offer to open up
their home for everyone to use, however this option does not necessarily offer
privacy. The Salvation Army C.E.R.T. provide emotional support during the
victims lengthy interviews with insurance adjusters and various
professionals. These interviews can
be visibly trying for the victims. The
team would prefer to be able to meet with these individuals in a private place where they can give personal
and financial information in a secure environment and an environment which is
away from eager onlookers. It is often
very apparent that having neighbors/strangers listening in on personal, private
conversations is an added stressor that could be eleviated. There are often medical issues that should
not be discussed in the open. There are
questions about personal belongings,
locked box locations in victims homes and other questions that need to
be asked, preferably in a private space.
DISCUSSION
The Salvation Army has approached
the City to request a decommissioned ambulance that could be used as a mobile
office/command post where victims can be taken to get out of the elements
(cold, snow, rain and heat) to get away from people and have the opportunity to
talk in a private, confidential place to meet with their insurance company,
spiritual leader and interventionists to discuss their private issues.
Ottawa Paramedic staff has identified a 2001 ambulance with a residual
value of approximately $5,000 that is about to be decommissioned and could be
donated to the Salvation Army C.E.R.T.
The Salvation Army C.E.R.T. consider this request to be a
way of moving forward with the 20/20 principles of building community
capacity. They would take on the
responsibility of doing the necessary repairs in order to ensure that the
vehicle is road worthy and the back of
the vehicle would be retrofitted by them to house emergency supplies such as
blankets, water, files, sitting and writing locations. The vehicle would be used as a primary
response vehicle that would be deployed to all calls and be available for use
by any of the response team members in the community while they help victims
cope during a crisis.
"It would ensure that victims are met with professionalism, dignity and the utmost of care. It would be a tool used to better help the victims deal with their grief and begin the long journey of healing…in privacy."
CONSULTATION
Chief of Paramedic Services,
Fleet Services, Salvation Army and Red Cross were consulted in the development
of this report.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Based on the research conducted
by the Fleet Services Branch, the estimated residual value of a 2001 Ambulance
is approximately $5,000. The donation
of this ambulance will result in lost revenue to the City that could have been
realized through the sale of the vehicle.
DISPOSITION
Fleet Services staff will transfer ownership of the decommissioned ambulance to the Salvation Army.