Recent announcements by the Province of Nova Scotia that it will create an Emergency Management Department and “Nova Scotia Guard” look promising but will require more than simply generating a list of volunteers. This post isn’t going to get into some of the slinging that goes on in social media but is going to put forward some things for the government to think about.
The Four Phases of Emergency Management
Emergency Management is more than simply being able to respond in a coordinated fashion. There are four phases. We go into these a fair bit on the pages on our website but since this is at a provincial level (and not your house), there’s some need to explain these four phases from a more strategic (longer term, wider view) and tactical (localized) view.
Mitigation
Mitigation in this context pertains to long term changes in the province. Establishing this office and the Nova Scotia Guard falls into this category. Mitigation also includes reducing the conditions that exacerbate the impacts of events–such as preventing future building on flood plains or within a few feet of the coastline on sandy slopes. In this context, the Emergency Management Department (EMD) may be well served to work with various other departments to look for opportunities to mitigate certain events.Some thoughts might include the following:
- Increased attention to the coastal issues.
- Increased attention to the sources of fires in woodlands and establishing rules so that there’s a greater degree of safety in some activities.
- Ensuring that all new developments take into account the need for resilient infrastructure, natural controls with respect to preventing flooding and fire spread, and multiple routes for ingress or egress.
- Establishing EMD and volunteer spaces where organizations can store equipment (up to and including trailers), conduct training, meet, and so forth. These could be co-located with EMD personnel to help build the ties and interoperability between groups.
- Establishing a tax-free status for responding organizations when purchasing equipment and supplies to be used in either response or the training for response.
- Enacting a provincial law that protects an individual’s employment for participating in disaster response, exercises, or training in consultation with the business community.
- Establishing a personal provincial tax credit for persons involved in the Emergency Management activity in a realistic way. This is covered in a previous post but I would reiterate that the current tax credit that works out to $15/hr for certain responders is inadequate given the services they provide and should be expanded to cover the broader range of persons who participate in meaningful and verifiable ways.
Preparedness
Preparedness looks to be ready for specific events. You may mitigate flooding by building a retaining wall around the property that prevents the entry of flood waters. You may prepare for flooding by having sandbags and other items filled and placed in case that wall fails. In this context, the following would apply:
- Maintain communications tools and exercise them periodically.
- Maintain not less than the minimum capability to respond to multiple events (of the same type of different types). This is not just about hiring staff, it is about ensuring adequate training and other resourcing. It is also about understanding that a minimum capacity is not likely the minimum number of staff possible to maintain the capacity as some staff may not be able to “come in” if they are impacted by the events themselves.
- Establish a process by which organizations can share best practices, training, and lessons learned. This may include the establishment of a database of lessons learned that can be searchable by registered persons or organizations.
- Conduct community exercises to build the capacity.
Response
There is a difference between flooding an area with volunteers and a coordinated response. Without the right supports, volunteers can quickly become casualties. For this reason, the principles in the Incident Command System should be reinforced and spontaneous volunteer management should be built into the EMD capacity.
Even if you have capable personnel, response requires other considerations. Think of this in terms of three lines. The first line are those responding directly. Those are the most obvious. The second line are those that support those responders. These are the people that feed, supply, transport, provide medical support, and so on. Finally, there is the rear echelon support that provides more technical services, helps coordinate activities, etc.
Supporting Response
First, there is the issue of equipment. Emergency response is already inherently risky. Normal conditions don’t exist. For volunteers, this means two things. First is determining that the equipment they have is safe to use (if the province is not providing it). Second, can they operate it, accomplish tasks with it, and not be a safety liability to those around them. We return again to the need for standards and training.
Second, there is the issue of space. Where these volunteers are housed during the response is also important. This is because of personal maintenance issues–like meals, hygiene, etc. Most communities already have housing challenges. Natural disasters have not been known for increasing the number of available structures. As the province looks towards how these events are managed, consideration will need to be given to sustaining those volunteers.
Third, there is information. The EMD may want to consider an internet-enabled portal where volunteer organizations and responders can get information. This information shouldn’t be configured just for planners but also for those leading teams in the field. This means information that can be read on desktops, laptops, tablets, or even smart-phones. Similarly, those responding will need good intelligence (meaning timely and relevant) to keep them abreast of conditions and emerging risks.
Recovery
Many individuals volunteer with good intentions but find that events can impact them. Post event care and resources for organizations like the NSG will need to take this into account.
The Difference Between Numbers and Capacity
Being able to jump in means different things to different people. To some, it represents a basic willingness. To those with more experience, it means those that are operationally ready to take on tasks. This is where the work comes in. This is where the established volunteer communities (fire-rescue, SAR, Team Rubicon Canada and others) can bring some significant insight through their structure of building capacity, not just numbers.
This could even be tied to the different incentives. Credits could be available to persons who complete mandatory training and are declared to be operationally ready, either by the province or other parties.
Build the Community and Support It
This brings us to an important aspect of Emergency Management – interoperability. This interoperability requires personal and institutional training and discipline.
The first step in this process involves building out the community of volunteers likely to respond to events, even outside of the proposed NSG. Interoperability becomes a key part of being able to work together on one hand but also lends a level of stability to the complex planning process. When you hand the Mark 1 Chainsaw to any trained operator (regardless of where), you should have a sense as to what they can do safely.
This factor not only the activities in the field, but also the structures that would be used to plan, coordinate, manage, maintain, and assess what’s going on as the event progresses.
Leverage Existing Training
The interoperability aspects leads naturally into training. Once again, the Province has a wealth of volunteer resources that have gone through formal training on many of the tools. While it may not really take a lot of training to shovel a driveway, it gets dicier when working under ice overhangs or on roofs. It gets even dicier when dealing with waterways. And so on. The province’s new EMD Minister may benefit from doing a quick and broad survey (not just what’s within walking distance of the office) of what organizations operate in the province, what they focus on, what kind of capacity they have, and what their ability is to train to that capacity.
Then the province may want to engage these organizations in a way that they develop a syllabus of courses and sources of training providers that are considered reliable and credible.
Build Sustainability Through Education
Capacity building in this context requires sustainability that goes beyond training. Perhaps the EMD could consider integrating an aspect of Emergency Management into the school curriculum at around the Grade 10 or higher level.
Wrap Up
There’s a theme here for the Province of Nova Scotia. Don’t just go down the road of “consultation.” You are going to need real partnerships with organizations that have “been there and done that.” Since we’re looking at doing things right, take the time and build a better system. Do better than just building a department with a phone list. Don’t consult with organizations, partner with them and leverage their skills so we get on the same page.
The mission is a resilient, safe, and secure Nova Scotia. Build what’s to come to achieve that.
As an aside, perhaps while you’re at it, you could ask the Minister of Public Safety why Canada doesn’t have an Emergency Management Institute like FEMA has in the USA.