1. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM – Year 2

PROGRAMME MUNICIPAL DE GESTION DES SITUATIONS D’URGENCE – 2ième annéE

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

That Council receive this report for information.

Recommandation du comité

Que le Conseil municipal prenne connaissance du présent rapport.

Documentation

1. Deputy City Manager, Community and Protective Services report dated
4 January 2006 (ACS2006-CPS-OEM-0001).

2. Extract of Draft Minutes 19, Emergency and Protective Services Committee,
12 January 2006

Report to/Rapport au:

Emergency and Protective Services Committee

Comité des services de protection et d'urgence

and Council /et Conseil

January 4, 2006/ le 4 janvier 2006

Submitted by/Soumis par : Steve Kanellakos,

Deputy City Manager/Directeur municpal adjoint,

Community and Protective Services/Services communautaires et de protection

Contact Person/Personne ressource : John Ash, Manager/gestionnaire

Emergency Measures Unit/Unité des mesures d'urgence

(613) 580-2424 x 28627, John.Ash@ottawa.ca

Ref N°: ACS2006-CPS-OEM-0001

SUBJECT:	EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM – Year 2

OBJET :	PROGRAMME MUNICIPAL DE GESTION DES SITUATIONS D’URGENCE – 2ième annéE

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

That Emergency and Protective Services Committee and Council receive this report for information.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité des services de protection et d’urgence et le Conseil municipal prenne connaissance du présent rapport.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On November 19, 2002 the Provincial Legislature approved changes to the former Emergency Plans Act, which created the new Emergency Management Act.

The Emergency Management Act requires that each municipality develop an emergency management program to conform to standards set out by Emergency Management Ontario in accordance with international best practices, including the four core components for emergency management, namely: mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

Emergency management programs are divided into three levels: essential, enhanced and comprehensive.

Each Ontario community must continue to maintain emergency management programs at the essential level and were to have developed and implemented the components associated with the enhanced emergency management program by December 31, 2005.

However, in 2005, the Emergency Management Office of Ontario collapsed the Enhanced program requirements anticipated for 2005 and the Comprehensive program slated for 2006 into one program now required by December 31, 2007. Despite the change in requirements made by the province, the City of Ottawa has moved forward and has implemented much of the enhanced program ahead of schedule.

The enhanced program includes a number of key components: publication of an enhanced emergency response plan; publication of supporting plans and designation of a local information center; development of an enhanced emergency operations center; development of an annual emergency management training and exercise program; development of a public awareness campaign; development of an annual self assessment process and the development and implementation of an incident management system.

As Council is aware, the City approved a comprehensive multi-year, $7.1 million Emergency Management Program in 2002 prior to the approval of the province’s new Emergency Management Act. Accordingly, the City had already identified, initiated and made significant progress on 29 projects that contribute to building a comprehensive emergency program for the City including the development of a detailed Emergency Plan.

In May 2005, the City received a letter of commendation for the dedicated work of staff and Council in the development and implementation of Ottawa’s Essential Emergency Management Program. The following report outlines the Enhanced Program requirements of the Emergency Management Act and the City’s progress in achieving these requirements in 2005.

RÉSUMÉ

Le 19 novembre 2002, l’assemblée législative de la province a approuvé des modifications à l’ancienne Loi sur la gestion des situations d’urgence, ce qui a donné lieu à la création d’une nouvelle Loi sur la gestion des situations d’urgence.

Aux termes de cette loi, chaque municipalité doit élaborer un programme de gestion des situations d’urgence afin de se conformer aux normes établies par Gestion des situations d’urgence Ontario conformément aux pratiques exemplaires internationales, y compris les quatre éléments de base de la gestion des situations d’urgence : atténuation des risques/prévention, protection civile, interventions d’urgence et secours.

Les programmes de gestion des situations d’urgence comportent trois niveaux : de base, renforcé et global. Toutes les collectivités ontariennes, qui doivent continuer de maintenir des plans de gestion des situations d’urgence de base, devaient élaborer et mettre en oeuvre des plans de gestion des situations d’urgence renforcés le 31 décembre 2005 au plus tard.

Cependant, en 2005, le Bureau de la gestion des situations d’urgence de l’Ontario a consolidé en un seul programme les exigences des programme renforcé et global, qui devaient être mis en œuvre en 2005 et en 2006 respectivement.

Le nouveau programme doit maintenant être conçu d’ici au 31 décembre 2007. Malgré les exigences modifiées de la province, la Ville d’Ottawa a continué d’aller de l’avant, mettant en oeuvre la majeure partie de son plan renforcé et devançant le calendrier établi.

Le programme renforcé comporte un certain nombre d’éléments clés : diffusion d’un plan renforcé d’interventions d’urgence; diffusion de plans connexes; désignation d’un centre d’information local; création d’un centre amélioré des opérations d’urgence; conception d’un programme annuel de formation et d’exercice en matière de gestion des situations d’urgence; élaboration d’une campagne de sensibilisation du public; conception d’un processus annuel d’autoévaluation; élaboration et mise en oeuvre d’un système de gestion des incidents.

Comme le Conseil municipal le sait, en 2002, avant l’adoption de la nouvelle Loi sur la gestion des situations d’urgence, la Ville a approuvé un programme de gestion des situations d’urgence pluriannuel et détaillé de 7,1 millions de dollars. Par conséquent, elle a déjà circonscrit et lancé 29 projets appuyant l’élaboration d’un programme global de gestion des situations d’urgence pour la Ville, y compris l’élaboration d’un plan d’interventions d’urgence détaillé. Elle a par ailleurs réalisé d’importants progrès à l’égard de leur mise en œuvre.

En mai 2005, la Ville a reçu une lettre faisant l’éloge de l’engagement du personnel de la Ville et des membres du Conseil à l’égard de l’élaboration et de la mise en oeuvre du programme de gestion des situations d’urgence de base. Le rapport qui suit expose les exigences du programme renforcé aux termes de la Loi sur la gestion des situations d’urgence et les progrès de la ville concernant l’atteinte des exigences en 2005.

BACKGROUND

City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program

The City of Ottawa and its partner agencies have a longstanding, excellent reputation within the field of emergency response.

Since amalgamation there has been an unprecedented level of coordination and cooperation between local emergency response agencies and Ottawa has achieved a level of emergency preparedness that is recognized among the forefront of Canadian municipalities. At the same time, however, events such as the September 11 attacks, the G-8 and G-20 meetings identified the need to enhance emergency response capabilities for new emerging threats, particularly within a national capital.

Because each community has different and distinct hazards and risks, a hazard identification and risk assessment needed to be completed as part of development of the Emergency Management Program. The City undertook a preliminary vulnerability analysis in 2002. It was further refined and completed and presented to Committee and Council in October 2003.

Accordingly, in 2002, City Council approved a multi-year $7.1 million capital budget proposal to develop a long term Emergency Response Program for the City of Ottawa.

The program has been focused on reviewing the City’s emergency response capability to a wide range of disasters/emergencies and to develop a multi-year action plan comprised of 29 projects to enhance the City’s capacity to prepare for, and respond to, large-scale emergencies.

In 2005, the City committed the equivalent of 25 Full time equivalent (FTE) work effort across the corporation in support of the Emergency Management Program. City staff has also engaged resources from the hospitals and the province to participate. An expansion of additional community involvement is anticipated in the next several years.

The funding committed by City Council is aimed at optimizing the City’s emergency response capabilities by addressing multi-agency emergency response initiatives that could not be funded within a single unit’s operating budget.

To that end, a multi-agency Steering Committee (chaired by the City Manager) and Working Group (chaired by the Manager of the Office of Emergency Management) were established to identify and prioritize the key projects to be developed and implemented over the multiple years.

Ontario Emergency Management Act

In November 2002, after the City initiated its Emergency Management Program, the Ontario Legislature approved the Emergency Management Act (which amended the previous Emergency Plans Act).

The Act makes provision for municipalities to develop and implement an emergency management program to protect public safety, public health, the environment, critical infrastructure and property, and to promote economic stability and a disaster resilient community.

This Act requires that each municipality develop an emergency management program to conform to standards set out by Emergency Management Ontario in accordance with international best practices, including the four core components for emergency management, namely: mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

Emergency management programs are divided into three levels: essential, enhanced and comprehensive. Each community must have, as a minimum, an emergency management program at the essential level. A community should then seek to progressively develop its program until the comprehensive level is achieved.

The three elements (essential, enhanced and comprehensive) of the Emergency Management Program to be completed in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively are identified in the Community Emergency Management Program Framework (Document 1). Each year, the Office of Emergency Management is tasked with reporting to Committee and Council on the progress and level of compliance with the provincial program.

On December 15, 2004, staff presented report ACS2004-CPS-EMU-0003, which outlined the requirements of the Essential Program and Ottawa’s program as of that date. The City has since received a letter from the Commissioner of Emergency Management Ontario and the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services recognizing staff and Council for their program and compliance with the provincial standards.

In 2005, however, the Emergency Management Office of Ontario collapsed the requirements of the Enhanced Program originally anticipated for 2005 and the Comprehensive Program slated for 2006 into one program, which is now required by December 31, 2007. Notwithstanding the change in requirements made by the province, the City of Ottawa has moved forward and has implemented six (6) of the eight (8) enhanced program requirements and has made some progress on one other ahead of schedule.

Enhanced Emergency Management Program Requirements

§ Publication of an enhanced emergency response plan to include supporting plans for high risks

The City of Ottawa Emergency Plan was approved by Council on 15 December 2004 which outlined ten (10) highest risks to the City of Ottawa[1]. Plans to address specific risks identified in the vulnerability assessment for Ottawa are imbedded in the Comprehensive Emergency Plan rather than through individual plans. Through one comprehensive municipal emergency plan all of the City's emergency needs can be addressed during a major emergency or disaster. It ensures a coordinated response by all City services thus maximizing the efficient use of existing resources. The plan clearly identifies information, processes and departmental/branch specific roles and responsibilities. The plan covers the Emergency Management System which is the mechanisms established to facilitate the coordination of complex and multi-departmental responses to emergency situation and specific emergency functions.

Although there is a emergency response plan in place, this plan is a living and continually evolving plan. Based on ongoing feedback from partners and participants in both exercises and real events, the plan is modified on a continual basis to improve is effectiveness.

§ Development of an enhanced emergency operations centre with detailed operating procedures, arrangements, and provision for appropriate specialist and auxiliary staff during an emergency

A project has been identified for the design of a new Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). A Best Practices Review has been completed and an EOC Design Concept document was developed to aid in decision-making processes and the design phase. To date, the project team has developed detailed operating procedures for the current EOC, which addresses notification procedures for mobilizing staff and procedural processes for the effective management of the EOC.

The City of Ottawa is currently seeking partnership opportunities with the Federal Government – Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada to co-locate Federal and Municipal Emergency Operations Centres.

In the interim, because the current location and design of the EOC is problematic, temporary modifications to the existing EOC will be evaluated to enhance efficiencies of space and personnel. Currently, the layout is not appropriate for the number and types of activities required by a single tier municipality of Ottawa’s size.

Finally the EOC is located downtown and therefore at higher risk from a vulnerability perspective, has no permanent audio visual equipment and computer workstations and lacks an effective form of controlled access. Interim modifications anticipated could include changes such as technology additions to assist with the flow of information, larger desk spaces, and some minor renovations to accommodate larger groups.

§ Development of an annual emergency management training and exercise program involving appropriate staff, volunteer organizations, auxiliary staff and emergency services

In 2005, a three (3) year exercise training calender was developed for implementation in 2006. The exercises range from simple EOC alert system exercises to table top exercises and full-scale field exercises for both the front line staff and the Emergency Operations Control group, which is comprised of the Executive Management Team for the City, the Police Chief, the Paramedic Chief, the Fire Chief and a Ministry of Health representative.

Training for the Emergency Operations Control group involves table top exercises where the group can practice roles and responsibilities based on a specific set of circumstances. Training for the front line staff includes field exercises where real practical experience can be obtained and issues can be identified for resolution.

In 2005, there were six (6) Emergency Control group scenario training exercises and 1 full-scale field training exercise for front line staff which included participation from our Federal partners as well as staff at the Ottawa International Airport.

In the past, staff completed reports after training exercises which outlined areas for improvement as well as conducted debriefing sessions after actual events to review what went well versus what did not. Both processes afforded staff the ability to evaluate and provide recommendations for improvement. A process and the nessessary resourses need to be identified to evaluate the overall impact the City’s training and education program is having. This process will move from assessing each incident in isolation to identifying recommendations at a more global or systems level to ensure that complete implementation of the recommendations occurred and that they were effective.

§ Development of an annual self-assessment process, to determine the quality and effectiveness of the emergency management program

Although it is not required until 2007, the Office of Emergency Management is developing a revised Terms of Reference document that will be tabled at the Steering Committee meeting in Q1 2006 for Steering committee approval. It will include:

· An annual project review including a legislative program mapping process for approval by the Steering committee;

· A semi annual reprioritization exercise to ensure legislative compliance will be achieved with an update provided to the Steering committee for approval; and

· Bi-monthly formal program status updates to the Steering committee to ensure financial accountability, mitigate risks associated with projects and ensure that information is shared appropriately.

The Branch will also be completing a mapping exercise within Q1 of 2006, which will involve identifying dependencies required to ensure legislative compliance with the Provincial program. This will serve to illustrate the cause and effect relationships between activities, outputs and outcomes and assist management identification of critical evaluation questions and areas of emphasis.

In addition to the revised Terms of Reference, mapping exercise and planning cycle anticipated for implementation in 2006, the Office of Emergency management conducts operational debriefs after every incident with the appropriate partners to ensure that issues and recommendations for improvement can be communicated effectively to the project teams for appropriate action.

§ Development and implementation of an emergency management public awareness program

A Public Education /Awareness Program was launched on January 7, 2005, coinciding with the 7^th anniversary of the Ice Storm, appropriately entitled Are you ready / Etes-vous prêt.

The purpose of this campaign was threefold:

• To educate the residential and business community about the need for emergency preparedness and encourage a higher level of emergency preparedness;

• To raise awareness of what the City is doing to prepare for emergency situations; and

• To cultivate a high level of public self-sufficiency.

The three key project milestones included a market research, developing a program delivery model, and developing the necessary tools needed for a public education campaign. All of these milestones were achieved. Success of the Are you ready? / Etes-vous prêt campaign was rooted in the three following principles:

· A community based “grassroots” approach was used

· The public was directly engaged in a very ‘hands on’ approach

· The best way to deliver the City’s message was to leverage community based partners for program delivery where the City provided the training tools and guidance needed to deliver the program.

An invitation to participate in this program was sent to over 300 community organizations, which resulted in over 65 people being trained as community trainers, who are actively training community members. Organizations who have received the ‘Are you ready / Etes-vous prêt’ training include organizations such as the Blackburn Community Association, the South East Ottawa Centre for Healthy Community and various religious groups. To date over 13,500 training packages have been produced and distributed in 5 different languages.

§ Development and implementation of an Incident Management System

An Incident Management System describes the process by which all emergency resources are managed during an incident. It outlines the command and control structure for the overall incident, specific activities, processes for communication between all participants both within organizations and across organizations and how activities are coordinated. An Incident Management System for the city of Ottawa is currently operational and part of the Emergency Management Plan.

It includes the reporting, operating and communication structure during an emergency for the operation of the Emergency Command Centre, the site management team and individual branch command centres. The province will be developing a provincial Incident Management System that each Municipality will be required to comply with. The Provincial system is anticipated for implementation in 2006. Once the requirements are known, the Office of Emergency management will review current City procedures and will make adjustments as needed for provincial program compliance.

Progress in 2005 not required as part of the Enhanced Program

§ Emergency Evacuation Plan

In addition to making significant progress in implementing the Enhanced program for Emergency Management, the City of Ottawa has also completed the first phase of an Evacuation plan.

To build on the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Plan, the development of a comprehensive Evacuation Plan is currently under way. This plan will build on existing protocols of the Municipal Emergency Plan to establish a coordinating mechanism for addressing small to large-scale evacuations within the City. It is an important element of Ottawa's emergency response capacity, since the evacuation of part or the entire municipality is a complex task that must be accomplished quickly and efficiently.

The comprehensive Evacuation Plan project has been divided into two phases.

Phase 1 - The first phase was completed in December 2005 and describes the coordination mechanisms and major procedures for all plan elements such as how and when a decision to evacuate is made, how the plan will be implemented, what the reporting structure will be and what the communication plan will look like. In addition, outlined are the internal City of Ottawa responsibilities within the plan.

Phase 2 - The second phase of the project is anticipated to finish in June 2006. The overall objective of this phase is to complete all major procedures, job aids, and coordination mechanisms or responsibilities involving external partners such as the Ministry of Transportation, the Airport, the City of Gatineau, etc.

§ Leverage Funding

To date the OEM facilitated, through the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) - a national program initiated by the Federal government designed to enhance national emergency capability - the investment of $631,881 in capital expenditure and has leveraged an additional $1,266,068. Through this cost-sharing program, the City of Ottawa has used these capital funds to purchase equipment to support the initiatives that will mitigate risks identified in the Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment. Such equipment includes protective gear for all emergency responders to protect them in the event of chemical warfare, a video camera and associated equipment for the police, which can be used during bomb incidents enabling staff to monitor the robot’s activities, other assorted hazardous material equipment for both Fire and Paramedic Services and specialized extrication equipment for Fire Services.

CONCLUSION

Emergency Management Ontario has prepared a Community Emergency Management Program framework, which outlines mandatory standards for municipal Emergency Management Programs. These standards are separated into three (3) categories: essential, enhanced and comprehensive. To date, the City of Ottawa has completed all the components for the essential program and has made significant progress in completing the enhanced program. While the requirements for the Enhance program have been deferred until December 31, 2007, the City of Ottawa has completed six (6) of the eight (8) requirements and made significant progress on one (1) of the remaining two (2). The City has begun to develop requirements for an enhanced emergency operations centre with detailed operating procedures and has plans to work on the final enhanced requirement[2] in 2006. In addition to this, the Office of Emergency Management has the following activities planned for 2006:

o Implementation of a three (3) year training calendar that will ensure that City staff has received and can maintain the appropriate training to ensure their ability to perform appropriately should they be required during an disaster or emergency.

o Development of Business Continuity plans to ensure the continuation of City service delivery during an emergency such as backup dispatch capabilities for emergency responders in the event of a major power failure.

o Development of risk mitigation strategies as they relate to the planning for future growth of the City. For example, strategies to ensure that risks are known and considered when addressing future development. (i.e.: where are the flood planes to ensure that future subdivisions are far enough away from them).

o Completion of the City’s Evacuation Plan.

o Development of a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Explosive Team Response Plan.

o Purchase equipment and training to improve response capabilities for Urban Search and Rescue – rescues from collapsed structures.

o Purchase of a mobile treatment and rehabilitation vehicle, which will support victims of a disaster as well as emergency responders during large-scale events. It will provide medical assessment and treatment to emergency personnel.

Ottawa and its partner agencies have a longstanding excellent reputation within the field of emergency response and continue to strive for excellence. Through the rigorous project management structure in place to complete the projects and the ongoing intensive training program developed to ensure effectiveness during an emergency, Ottawa continues to lead Canadian municipalities in the area of Emergency Management.

CONSULTATION

The Emergency Management Program Working Group and Emergency Management Ontario were consulted during the development of the Emergency Management Program.

Corporate Legal Services assisted with the development of the program pursuant to the Emergency Management Act. Given the operational nature of the emergency program, as well as the confidential nature of the program related to the identification and assessment of community hazards and risks as well as their mitigation, no public consultation was undertaken.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Funding for the City's Emergency Management Program is contained in the Community and Protective Services Capital Budget.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1 - Framework for Community Emergency Management Programs

DISPOSITION

Emergency Measures Unit (EMU) to maintain and administer the Emergency Management Program and the associated Emergency Management Plan including conducting of an annual review and update to Committee and Council on an annual basis.

Document 1

FRAMEWORK FOR COMMUNITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

ESSENTIAL PROGRAM _

(December 2004)

_ ENHANCED PROGRAM

(December 2005)

(Now required by December 2007)

_ COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM

(December 2006)

(Now required by December 2007)

· Designation of a community emergency management coordinator

· Formation of an emergency management program committee

· Development of an appropriate community emergency operations centre

· Identification of individuals to act as emergency information staff

· Conduct of annual training for the community control group and emergency operations centre staff

· Conduct of an annual exercise to evaluate the emergency response plan

· Development and implementation of a emergency management public awareness program

· Identification of critical infrastructure

· Publication of an approved emergency response plan

· Conduct of an annual review of the emergency management program

· Publication of an enhanced emergency response plan to include supporting plans for high risks

· Publication of a supporting plan for the dissemination of emergency information including the designation of a local information centre

· Development of an enhanced emergency operations centre with detailed operating procedures, arrangements, and provision for appropriate specialist and auxiliary staff during an emergency

· Development of an annual emergency management training program involving appropriate staff, volunteer organizations, auxiliary staff and emergency services

· Development of an annual emergency management exercise program involving appropriate staff, volunteer organizations, auxiliary staff and emergency services

· Development of a public education program based on identified high risks

· Development of an annual self – assessment process to determine the quality and effectiveness of the emergency management program

· Development and implementation of an Incident Management System

· Development of a prevention/mitigation strategy and plan for identified high risks

· Publication of a recovery plan for identified high risks

· Develop a response strategy for identified hazards

· Implementation of guidelines for risk–based land use planning

· Designation of dangerous goods routes

· Development and implementation of a detailed risk-based public education program

· Development of a comprehensive community evacuation plan

· Designation of a emergency management week to publicize the emergency management program and recognize the contribution of all partners

· Development and implementation of an external assessment process to determine the quality and effectiveness of the emergency management program

[1] Ten (10) highest risks are: Infectious disease outbreak such as pandemic influenza, earth quake, Radiological Emergency, Water Contamination, Lifeline Failure, Ice Storm, Terrorism, Explosion, Demonstration/Riot, Hazardous Material Spill.

[2] Still outstanding in the Enhanced program is the publication of a supporting plan for the dissemination of emergency information including the designation of a local information centre