2. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM – Year 3

PROGRAMME MUNICIPAL DE GESTION DES SITUATIONS D’URGENCE – 3ième annéE

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

That Council:

1. Receive this annual report on the Emergency Management Program- Year 3 for information.

2. Approve the enactment of a by-law as contained in document 1 that approves the Emergency Management Program including:

a. The Emergency Management Program - Schedule A.

b. The 2004 Emergency Management Plan, Version 1.0 - Schedule B (with the identified amendments).

c. The membership of the Emergency Management Program Committee to also serve as the Municipal Emergency Control Group - Schedule C.

d. The delegation of authority to the Manager, Office of Emergency Management as the primary Community Emergency Management Coordinator and the authority to delegate alternate(s).

e. The designation of the Community Emergency Information Officer.

f. An annual review by Council of the Emergency Management Program.

g. Delegation of authority to the Manager, Office of Emergency Management to make minor administrative amendments or to update functional responsibilities to the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Plan and its appendices provided the EMP Steering Committee has approved the changes and to the City Solicitor to place any required by-law amendments directly on the Agenda of Council.

3. Approve the Municipal Evacuation Plan, Version 1.0 and that it becomes an Appendix to the City of Ottawa Emergency Management Plan.

RecommandationS du Comité

Que le Conseil :

1. de recevoir à titre d’information le présent rapport annuel sur le Programme municipal de gestion des situations d’urgence – 3^e année;

2. d’approuver l’adoption d’un règlement municipal, ci-joint au document 1, approuvant le Programme de gestion des situations d'urgence, y compris :

a) le Programme de gestion des situations d'urgence (annexe A);

b) la version 1.0 du Plan de mesures d’urgence de 2004 (annexe B), assortie des modifications décrites;

c) la composition du comité responsable du Programme de gestion des situations d’urgence, dont les membres feront également partie du groupe de contrôle municipal en cas d’urgence (annexe C);

d) la délégation au gestionnaire du Bureau de gestion des mesures d'urgence des pouvoirs associés au rôle de coordonnateur principal de la Gestion des situations d’urgence locales et du pouvoir de désigner des mandataires;

e) la nomination d’un agent d’information responsable des urgences communautaires;

f) un examen annuel du Programme de gestion des situations d’urgence mené par le Conseil qui comprend :

g) la délégation au gestionnaire du Bureau de gestion des mesures d'urgence du pouvoir d’apporter des modifications mineures d’ordre administratif au Plan de mesures d’urgence de la Ville d’Ottawa et à ses annexes ou de mettre à jour les responsabilités fonctionnelles qui y sont associées, sous réserve de l’approbation des changements par le comité directeur du Plan de mesures d’urgence, et au chef du contentieux, du pouvoir d’inscrire à l’ordre du jour du Conseil les modifications nécessaires au règlement municipal;

3. d’approuver la version 1.0 du Plan d’évacuation municipal et de la joindre (en annexe) au Plan de mesures d’urgence de la Ville d’Ottawa.

DOCUMENTATION

1. Deputy City Manager report dated 29 March 2007 (ACS2007-CPS-OEM-0001).

Report to/Rapport au:

Community and Protective Services Committee

Comité des services communautaires et de protection

and Council /et Conseil

29 March 2007/ le 29 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 : John Ash, Manager/gestionnaire

Office of Emergency Management/Bureau de gestion des mesures d'urgence

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

City-Wide/ Portée générale

Ref N°: ACS2007-CPS-OEM-0001

SUBJECT:	EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM – Year 3

OBJET :	PROGRAMME MUNICIPAL DE GESTION DES SITUATIONS D’URGENCE – 3ième annéE

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

That Community and Protective Services Committee recommend that Council:

1. Receive this annual report on the Emergency Management Program- Year 3 for information.

2. Approve the enactment of a by-law as contained in document 1 that approves the Emergency Management Program including:

a) The Emergency Management Program - Schedule A.

b) The 2004 Emergency Management Plan, Version 1.0 - Schedule B (with the identified amendments).

c) The membership of the Emergency Management Program Committee to also serve as the Municipal Emergency Control Group - Schedule C.

d) The delegation of authority to the Manager, Office of Emergency Management as the primary Community Emergency Management Coordinator and the authority to delegate alternate(s).

e) The designation of the Community Emergency Information Officer.

f) An annual review by Council of the Emergency Management Program.

g) Delegation of authority to the Manager, Office of Emergency Management to make minor administrative amendments or to update functional responsibilities to the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Plan and its appendices provided the EMP Steering Committee has approved the changes and to the City Solicitor to place any required by-law amendments directly on the Agenda of Council.

3. Approve the Municipal Evacuation Plan, Version 1.0 and that it becomes an Appendix to the City of Ottawa Emergency Management Plan.

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité des Services communautaires et de protection et le Conseil municipal prenne connaissance du présent rapport.

Que le Comité des services communautaires et de protection recommande au Conseil :

1. de recevoir à titre d’information le présent rapport annuel sur le Programme municipal de gestion des situations d’urgence – 3^e année;

2. d’approuver l’adoption d’un règlement municipal, ci-joint au document 1, approuvant le Programme de gestion des situations d'urgence, y compris :

a) le Programme de gestion des situations d'urgence (annexe A);

b) la version 1.0 du Plan de mesures d’urgence de 2004 (annexe B), assortie des modifications décrites;

c) la composition du comité responsable du Programme de gestion des situations d’urgence, dont les membres feront également partie du groupe de contrôle municipal en cas d’urgence (annexe C);

e) la nomination d’un agent d’information responsable des urgences communautaires;

f) un examen annuel du Programme de gestion des situations d’urgence mené par le Conseil qui comprend :

3. d’approuver la version 1.0 du Plan d’évacuation municipal et de la joindre (en annexe) au Plan de mesures d’urgence de la Ville d’Ottawa.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (originally enacted as the Emergency Management Act in 2003) 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.

The emergency management program includes a number of key components: publication of an emergency management plan; publication of supporting plans, i.e., municipal evacuation plan, development of an enhanced emergency operations center; development of an annual emergency management training and exercise program; and the development of a public awareness campaign.

As Council is aware, the City approved a comprehensive multi-year, $7.1 million Emergency Management Program in 2002 which pre-dated enactment of the provincial regulations. Accordingly, the City has already identified, initiated and made significant progress on 29 projects that anticipated, and contributed to, building a comprehensive emergency management program in keeping with the stringent requirements of the provincial regulations.

Through the rigorous project management structure in place to complete the projects and the ongoing training activities developed to improve effectiveness during an emergency, Ottawa continues to lead Canadian municipalities in the area of Emergency Management. To that end, the Emergency Management Program engages all city departments/branches and services across the corporation including the City Manager and the Executive Management Team as well as external partners fostering collaboration and communication on emergency management initiatives.

2006 EMP highlights included:

· Acquisition of 5 all-season portable emergency site facilities

· Acquisition of mobile emergency treatment and rehabilitation unit

· Implementation of personal protective equipment database and awareness course

· Completion of Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Design Concept

· Development of Emergency Management Training and Exercise Program

· Launch of ICE (In Case of Emergency) Campaign

· Validation of Business Continuity Program (BCP) Framework

In addition to the many initiatives in support of meeting legislative requirements and building emergency management capacity, the City has also received commendation for its emergency management response.

In May 2006, Emergency Management Ontario presented the City of Ottawa and it's Community Partners a special letter of achievement recognizing everyone’s role in assisting with the evacuation and housing of 278 evacuees from the Kashechewan community.

In September 2006 the Provincial government sent a letter of thanks to the City of Ottawa acknowledging its assistance with the repatriation of Lebanese Canadians.

In addition to its successes, the EMP will be facing some challenges in 2007. As a result of 2007 Budget Directions, limited work will be done on some of the EMP projects while others will be placed on hold until funding is available. Opportunities to leverage matching funding will also be lost.

Details of 2006 achievements and 2007 challenges are provided in the following report.

RÉSUMÉ

La Loi sur la protection civile et la gestion des situations d’urgence (qui remplace la Loi sur la gestion des situations d'urgence adoptée en 2003) stipule que chaque municipalité doit élaborer un programme de gestion des mesures d’urgence en vue de respecter les normes établies par Gestion des situations d'urgence Ontario, conformément aux pratiques exemplaires à l’échelle internationale, y compris les quatre composantes fondamentales de la planification d’urgence : l’atténuation des effets et la prévention, la planification, l'intervention et le rétablissement.

Le Programme municipal de gestion des situations d’urgence repose sur un certain nombre de concepts clés, soit la publication d’un plan de mesures d’urgence ainsi que des documents connexes (p. ex., un plan d’évacuation municipal), l’établissement d’un centre des opérations d'urgence (COU) de pointe, l’élaboration d’un programme annuel d’exercices et de formation sur la gestion des situations d’urgence, et l’organisation d’une campagne de sensibilisation du public.

Comme le Conseil le sait, la Ville a approuvé en 2002, soit avant l’adoption des mesures législatives provinciales, un programme pluriannuel exhaustif de gestion des situations d’urgence assorti d’un budget de 7,1 millions de dollars. En conséquence, après avoir cerné les besoins, la Ville a déjà élaboré et lancé 29 projets pour lesquels elle a réalisé des progrès considérables. Ces projets ont préparé l’établissement d’un programme global de gestion des situations d'urgence et contribué à sa mise sur pied conformément aux prescriptions strictes des mesures législatives provinciales.

Grâce à la méthode rigoureuse de gestion de projet utilisée pour mener à bien ses initiatives ainsi qu’à ses activités de formation permanentes visant à accroître l’efficacité de l’intervention dans les situations d’urgence, Ottawa figure toujours parmi les villes canadiennes les plus avancées au chapitre de la gestion des situations d’urgence. Ainsi, le Programme de gestion des situations d’urgence stimule la collaboration et la communication entre l’ensemble des services et des directions de la Ville, y compris le Bureau du directeur municipal et l’Équipe de la haute direction, ainsi qu’avec des partenaires de l’externe, en vue de la mise en œuvre d’initiatives de gestion des situations d’urgence.

Quelques faits saillants liés au Plan municipal de 2006 de gestion des situations d’urgence :

· acquisition de cinq installations d’urgence mobiles permanentes;

· acquisition d’une unité mobile du traitement et de la réadaptation en cas d’urgence;

· mise en œuvre d’une base de données et d’un cours de sensibilisation sur l’équipement de protection individuelle;

· mise au point des concepts du design pour le COU;

· élaboration d’un programme d’exercices et de formation sur la gestion des mesures d’urgence;

· lancement de la Campagne ICE (In Case of Emergency – en cas d’urgence);

· validation du cadre du programme de continuité des activités (PCA).

Outre les nombreuses initiatives mises en œuvre afin de respecter les prescriptions de la loi et de renforcer sa capacité à gérer les situations d’urgence, la Ville d’Ottawa a reçu une mention élogieuse pour l’efficacité de ses mesures d’intervention en cas d’urgence.

En effet, en mai 2006, Gestion des situations d'urgence Ontario a remis à la Ville d’Ottawa et à ses partenaires communautaires une lettre de reconnaissance spéciale pour leur rôle dans l’évacuation et l’hébergement de 278 habitants de Kashechewan. En septembre 2006, le gouvernement provincial a également remercié par écrit la Ville d’Ottawa d’avoir aidé au rapatriement de Canadiens originaires du Liban.

La Ville devra toutefois relever, en 2007, certains défis liés à la mise en œuvre de son Programme municipal de gestion des situations d’urgence. En raison des orientations budgétaires de 2007, certains projets ne pourront progresser que de façon limitée tandis que d’autres seront mis en suspens jusqu’à l’obtention des fonds nécessaires. En outre, il ne sera plus possible de recevoir du financement de contrepartie.

Le présent rapport contient des renseignements détaillés sur les réalisations de 2006 et les défis de 2007.

BACKGROUND

City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program (EMP)

In 2002, City Council approved a multi-year, $7.1 M capital project to develop a comprehensive Emergency Management Program (EMP), for the City of Ottawa administered by the City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Using a multi-departmental approach, this program is committed to the Ontario Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. It provides an integrated approach to emergency management activities that enhance the city’s ability to prevent, mitigate, plan, respond and recover from disasters and emergencies, while ensuring continuation of core services. To this end, 29 projects, that encompass a broad range of initiatives and contribute to the formation of a comprehensive emergency management program for the City and its partners have been identified and prioritized for implementation.

In 2003, the Emergency Management Act was passed and required that each municipality develop an emergency management program to conform to standards set out by Emergency Management Ontario in accordance with international best practices. Examples of the required standards include: having an emergency plan, a training and exercise program for employees of the municipality, and a public education and awareness program. In December 2004, City Council received and approved the City’s Emergency Management Program that included a new emergency plan.

Emergency management programs were divided into three levels: essential, enhanced and comprehensive. Each Ontario community was required 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, Emergency Management Ontario collapsed the Enhanced and Comprehensive program requirements into one program and the associated timelines for completing these requirements were dissolved. Although future legislative changes will be forthcoming, specific details and timelines have not yet been provided. Meanwhile, the City of Ottawa has continued to move forward in implementing a number of the legislative requirements and through the Emergency Management Program, the City will be positioned to meet future legislative requirements.

In June 2006, Bill 56 was passed by the Ontario legislature amending the Emergency Management Act to provide the provincial government with broader powers to issue orders or take action to deal with situations that might arise during an emergency. As a result of this amendment, the Emergency Management Act was renamed the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. As per Provincial direction, a specific by-law must be enacted to support the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program including the City’s Emergency Management Plan.

The City of Ottawa has met and continues to maintain the current legislative standards. Accordingly, the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program enables the municipality to be compliant with current legislation, while addressing Ottawa’s specific emergency management requirements and positions the City to meet emerging legislative standards.

Each year, the Office of Emergency Management is tasked to report to Committee and Council on the progress and level of compliance with the provincial program.

DISCUSSION

Year 3 - 2006 Accomplishments

Since 2002, a number of key deliverables and accomplishments have been realized through the Emergency Management Program. To date, of the 29 projects, 8 have been successfully completed and implemented and 11 are currently active. In 2006, the City committed a cumulative work effort of 25 Full time equivalents (FTEs) across the corporation in support of the Emergency Management Program and made significant progress on a number of specific projects. With all of the work completed to date, the City is better prepared to coordinate, respond and manage emergency events.

Highlighted below are some of the 2006 EMP accomplishments:

Five (5) All-season Portable Emergency Site Facilities Acquisition

In January 2006, five all-season portable Emergency Site Facilities were acquired for use by emergency responders. These facilities are stored and maintained by the first responder services. These facilities can be deployed wherever emergencies occur, and are fully outfitted with generators, heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, that are self-contained in trailers. These portable shelters not only protect the public and the responders from the elements, but also serve as a base of operations during an emergency event or for special events, e.g. Canada Day. They provide an easily identifiable access point for members of the community to obtain assistance and information in an emergency.

Mobile Emergency Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit Acquisition

In June 2006, a mobile treatment and rehabilitation (TRU) vehicle was acquired. This specially equipped bus provides a specialized environment for medical triage, rehabilitation, treatment, immunization and post decontamination activities. It can be utilized for the transportation or re-location of multiple patients, including victims of a disaster as well as emergency responders. It is also available for use during special events, such as, Canada Day. In 2007, the interior of the vehicle is being permanently converted to optimally function in this capacity.

Personal Protective Equipment Database and Awareness Course

Part of the City’s Emergency Management Program (EMP) aims to raise awareness among city staff in preparing for emergency situations. This online database and awareness course has been made available to City staff to ensure employees have an awareness of any equipment they may need to use to protect themselves during an emergency. These tools have been developed to support the City’s Emergency Management Plan and related branch and departmental emergency plans. Created as part of EMP, the Personal Protective Equipment Database and Awareness Course provides an overview of the City’s Emergency Management plan, identifies potential threats along with their associated risks and provides a list of personal protective equipment that may be required to protect responders for example, equipment such as gloves, respirators and head protection.

Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Improvements

As identified in the Auditor General’s Report (2005), the current location and design of the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) is problematic. From a vulnerability perspective, its downtown location places it at higher risk and the layout is not appropriate for the number and types of activities required by a single tier municipality of Ottawa’s size. The EMP Steering Committee members agreed with the Auditor’s findings and recommended that an alternate EOC location needed to be identified. To address these recommendations, a best practices review and an EOC Design Concept were completed, and a series of potential alternate EOC locations were identified. Hazard and Risk assessments for the potential EOC locations have also been initiated. The recommendations are to be incorporated into a new Emergency Operations Centre location for which capital funding has been approved for design costs. In the interim, some modifications are being implemented to improve the current EOC’s functionality.

Emergency Information System

As part of the EOC improvements, technological enhancements that provide a means to electronically document an event as well as manage information flow within the EOC, across the corporation and with external stakeholders are being explored for future implementation. For example, this system will include technology that will assist support personnel in managing major events and chronologically documenting the emergency event and the actions taken by key decision makers. It will also provide the ability to track and manage resource requests and assets, and display key information geospatially to improve decisions and information sharing processes. These enhancements will not only be used to improve communications with City staff, but will also include opportunities to link with external partners. In 2006, work was initiated on defining and identifying the system requirements.

Development of the Emergency Management Training and Exercise Program

The Emergency Management Training and Exercise Program is being created to train key decision makers and emergency response personnel on their roles and responsibilities, common processes, procedures and expectations in managing the emergency situation.

In 2006, the primary focus of the program was the development of course curriculum for an Ottawa-based Basic Emergency Management (BEM) Course. The BEM Course is designed to educate emergency response personnel on the core concepts of emergency management and will also provide information that is specific to the City’s Emergency Management Plan. This course is the first in a series of courses that are being developed and it serves as a pre-requisite for all specialized emergency management training at the Canadian Emergency Management College. It is anticipated that Ottawa BEM will be launched in May 2007.

The Emergency Management Training and Exercise Program in 2006 also included one full-scale table top exercise conducted with the Emergency Operations Control group (EOCG) and one case-study exercise conducted with the EOCG alternates. A full-day training workshop was also provided to the EOCG executive support personnel. A small case study exercise was also conducted with a sample of multi-agency emergency responders in order to obtain user feedback on the draft Evacuation plan and Response Guide. Following each exercise, debriefing sessions were conducted with the exercise participants to review and identify the successes and areas for improvement.

Emergency Management Public Awareness Program

The ‘Are you Ready/ Etes-vous prêt’ Campaign was launched in January 2005. This peer-based training program aims to raise awareness in the community about how to prepare for an emergency. Education materials are available in five languages. During Emergency Preparedness Week in May 2006, the City launched a series of Public Service Announcements for use by local media on how to prepare for emergencies. The Office of Emergency Management, in partnership with Ottawa Public Health also launched the Are you Ready Influenza Pandemic Passport. The ICE (In Case of Emergency) Campaign was also launched during Emergency Preparedness Week 2006. ICE’s aim is to encourage the public to add a name and number in their cell phone contact list under ‘ICE’. This will help emergency personnel notify contacts quickly and easily in the event of an emergency.

Business Continuity Program (BCP)

In 2005, the Business Continuity Program (BCP) was initiated as a component of the Emergency Management Program (EMP). It is focused on the sustainment of emergency response and on continuation of municipal government and critical services to the public in an all hazards environment. As a preliminary step, a corporate-wide gap analysis was conducted and included communications with selected department and branch management teams, interviews with individual business managers and functional subject matter experts. This analysis identified and highlighted interdependencies among branches and functions, the critical dependencies on services provided by the Centres of Expertise (COE), and it was the basis for determining the City’s Business Continuity Management (BCM) strategy. A common baseline of documentation was developed to support BCM activities within the City as follows:

· Identification of the top ten priorities for continuity planning

· Critical services and critical support services framework to assist in prioritizing business continuity planning efforts.

· BCM User guides, BCM Workbooks and educational materials

Between March and December 2006, departmental/branch management teams had the opportunity to validate the BCM baseline documentation, its framework and tools. The EMP Steering Committee subsequently approved the validated BCP framework in February 2007 as a basis for ongoing business continuity planning.

To ensure BCP is effectively coordinated and successfully implemented across the corporation, a governance model was recommended and approved which identified the need for a Corporate BCP Coordinator and departmental BCP coordinators respectively. However, these resources remain to be identified, and as per the direction of the EMP Steering Committee, it was recommended that BCP be highlighted as part of the Council Priority Setting Exercise in Spring 2007. In the interim, corporately, BCP planning has been placed on hold in 2007, however,

departments and branches may use the BCP planning framework as a guide to proceed with BCP-specific planning for their areas, in the absence of a corporate coordinator.

Mitigation Program: Beyond 2020 – Building a Resilient and Sustainable Community

This project is built upon two important requirements: planning for long-term community sustainability and emergency preparedness. The City of Ottawa is working in partnership with National Capital Commission and the City of Gatineau to develop risk mitigation strategies relative to planning and future growth. It aims to examine how the occurrence or impact of a wider range of threats such as climate change and resource scarcities can be minimized. It also looks at changing the way the City approaches planning to ensure that planning decisions consider known risks when addressing future development. In November 2006, the Beyond 2020 team conducted an Energy Workshop in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada and Energy Ottawa. This workshop was the first in a series of workshops to be organized to inform the City’s Energy Program and the Beyond 2020 project.

EMP Annual Self-Assessment Process

As per the Auditor General’s recommendations, the Office of Emergency Management has developed a Terms of Reference for the Emergency Management Program and supporting processes to ensure that EMP meets current and future legislative requirements as well as addressing Ottawa-specific needs. The EMP Steering Committee approved the Terms of Reference in October 2006. As per the Terms of Reference, the EMP Working Group conducts an annual project review, as well as a semi-annual prioritization exercise to ensure legislative compliance will be achieved.

In addition to the adopted Terms of Reference, mapping exercise, and planning cycle that has been implemented in 2006, the Office of Emergency Management conducts operational debriefs with the respective partners following every large-scale incident to ensure that issues and recommended improvements are communicated effectively to the project teams for appropriate follow up and action.

Other Achievements in Year 3

Leverage Funding Update

Through the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) - a national program initiated by the Federal government designed to enhance national emergency capability, the OEM has submitted JEPP applications on behalf of the City’s emergency responder services and has used capital funds to purchase equipment to support the initiatives that will mitigate risks identified in the Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment.

In 2006, the City received approval for JEPP grants totalling $170,000. This funding was used to procure Urban Search and Rescue equipment that included specialized search cameras, probes, listening devices, breaching/cutting/rescue tools, shoring equipment, a portable USAR shelter, rescue coats, pants, and helmets.

Since 2002, EMP has successfully received approval for a total of $1.4 Million in federal funding through the City’s EMP investment.

Cross Collaborative Initiatives

The Emergency Management Program engages all city departments/branches and services across the corporation as well as a number of external partners. Since it’s inception in 2002, there has been enhanced collaboration and communication on emergency management initiatives across departments and services and this program has served as a catalyst for subsequent development, review and alignment of emergency plans and operating procedures. Through these initiatives, the City is better prepared to coordinate, respond and manage emergency events.

Specific examples of cross-collaborative initiatives in 2006 as well as recognition of the City’s response to emergency events are highlighted below:

Letter of Achievement for Kashechewan Evacuation

In October 2005, residents from the northern Kashechewan Reserve were ordered to evacuate their homes due to contaminated and unsafe drinking water conditions. On October 31, 2005, 265 Kashechewan residents arrived in Ottawa and were greeted by City Staff, the Red Cross, and representatives from Wabano Health Centre and Odawa Friendship Centre. They were transported to a reception centre where a medical inventory and determination of special needs were immediately completed for all evacuees. The Evacuees were then housed in 3 downtown hotels and by December 2005, the City was hosting 278 evacuees.

Over the next 6 weeks, a phenomenal and unprecedented partnership was developed between community agencies and city staff with a flurry of activities that included arrangements for the provision of education, recreation, childcare, food, clothing, and transportation for daily meals.

In May 2006, Wayne Cotgreave, the Acting Chief, Emergency Management Ontario presented the City of Ottawa and it's Community Partners a special letter of achievement recognizing everyone’s role in assisting with the evacuation and housing of 278 evacuees from the Kashechewan community.

The City of Ottawa successfully sought reimbursement from the Federal Government of $1.4 Million for its expenses incurred in assisting with this evacuation.

Repatriation of Lebanese Canadians

On July 20^th, 2006 the Federal government requested assistance from the City of Ottawa to support the Lebanese Canadians that were being repatriated to Canada. OEM liaised between the Federal and Provincial governments and the service providers to ensure a coordinated and efficient response to the evacuees. The Red Cross and Salvation Army were activated as per the existing Memoranda of Understanding (31 Red Cross volunteers provided 180 hours of service during this time). 696 evacuees arrived in Ottawa and were greeted by the Red Cross. Evacuees were also directed to partner agencies, which had been engaged to offer counselling, and settlement support including Lebanese and Arab Social Services Agency of Ottawa-Carleton, Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organisation (OCISO), Catholic Immigration Centre of Ottawa.

Staff from across the Community and Protective Services Department provided support to the Lebanese evacuees, including the Office of Emergency Management, Parks and Recreation, Public Health, Housing, Paramedics, and Employment and Financial Assistance. The City of Ottawa assisted approximately 45 households or approximately 190 individuals with emergency shelter, in the family shelters or off site locations (e.g. motels). The Housing Branch, as part of regular business, provided emergency shelter accommodation (either at the family shelters or motels) or referred to shelters, for single people. Ottawa Public Health monitored the situation to determine necessary interventions and provided information to the settlement agencies regarding its services and referral systems, e.g. Prenatal Education, Healthy Baby Healthy Children Program and Senior Health Program.

The City of Ottawa successfully sought reimbursement from the Federal Government of $66,000 for its expenses incurred during this repatriation project.

Subsequently, a letter of thanks was sent to the City of Ottawa acknowledging its assistance with the repatriation effort.

Emergency Social Services

The Emergency Social Services team is composed of city staff from several branches: Parks and Recreation, Housing, Employment and Financial Assistance, Strategic Initiatives and Business Planning, Libraries, Public Health and works closely with community partners, including Red Cross, Salvation Army, and the Ottawa Humane Society. Depending on the nature of the response, other critical stakeholders may be engaged to support the emergency efforts to evacuees. In an emergency, this team is responsible for providing the six basic emergency social services: food, shelter, clothing, personal services, registration and inquiry, and public health.

A comprehensive Emergency Social Services plan has been developed which is supported by series of service specific sub-plans. Housing Branch, for example, has completed their protocols and procedures for responding to emergencies.

In 2007, several Memorandas of understanding will be finalized, including the provision of clothing to evacuees, and increased support from the Red Cross with the management of Emergency Reception and Lodging Centres. The Emergency Social Services team also plans to focus on the recruitment of additional staff and training to ensure resources are available to assist in emergencies.

Emergency Management Program By-Law

On June 13^th, 2006, Bill 56 was passed by the Ontario legislature amending the Emergency Management Act to provide the provincial government with broader powers to issue orders or take action to deal with situations that might arise during an emergency. As a result of this amendment, the Emergency Management Act was renamed the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

The City of Ottawa has met and continues to maintain the current legislative standards. It is also expected that further legislative revisions will be announced in the future and that the revised legislation will raise the required level of compliance of the municipality. Accordingly, the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program enables the municipality to be not only compliant with current legislation, but also, to meet emerging legislative standards, while addressing Ottawa’s specific emergency management needs.

City Council approved the Emergency Management Program and plan in December 2004 and supporting material was provided to the Provincial Government to fulfill the requirements of the provincial emergency management office. Provincial legislative standards now require the enactment of a specific by-law to approve the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program that includes the following:

· The Emergency Management Program - Schedule A

· The 2004 Emergency Management Plan, Version 1.0 - Schedule B (with the identified amendments)

· The membership of the Emergency Management Program Committee which shall also serve as the Municipal Emergency Control Group - Schedule C

· The delegation of authority to the Manager, Office of Emergency Management as the primary Community Emergency Management Coordinator and the authority to delegate alternate(s).

· The designation of the Community Emergency Information Officer.

· An annual review by Council of the Emergency Management Program.

· Delegation of authority to the Manager, Office of Emergency Management to make minor administrative amendments or to update functional responsibilities to the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Plan and its appendices provided the EMP Steering Committee has approved the changes and to the City Solicitor to place any required by-law amendments directly on the Agenda of Council.

Amendments to the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Plan

In December 2004, City Council received and approved the City’s Emergency Management Program that included a new emergency plan. The City of Ottawa’s emergency management plan addresses the City’s emergency needs during a large-scale emergency or disaster; ensures a coordinated response by all City services; and maximizes efficient use of resources. The City of Ottawa’s emergency management plan is based on an all hazard and multi-departmental functional approach, outlining the service and departmental specific emergency tasks and responsibilities that need to be undertaken in an emergency. Since it’s adoption in 2004, City staff has had the opportunity to reference the plan during emergency situations and during simulated emergency exercises. Based on lessons learned following actual emergency events and exercise debriefings as well as a recent gap analysis undertaken by the EMP Working Group, the City’s current emergency management plan needs to be updated.

These are the first amendments to the original City of Ottawa emergency management plan (Version 1.0) and also include a process for making future amendments to the plan.

In October 2006, the EMP Working Group members conducted a preliminary gap analysis on the City’s emergency management plan. The gap analysis provided an opportunity for services /departments:

(1) To determine the level to which the emergency management plan has been integrated into their respective services/departments.

(2) To review and verify their services/departments’ roles and responsibilities for the respective emergency functions and tasks.

(3) To clarify their roles and responsibilities during an emergency using feedback received from debriefings and participation in emergency exercises.

Generally, the findings from this review are administrative in nature and are categorized as follows:

I.	Structural Changes 2007	Reflects changes to the City’s organizational structure and to Provincial legislation, (wording e.g., EMU is now OEM, Transit has moved to Planning, Transit and Environment).
II.	New Functions and Tasks 2007	Services/Departments have highlighted new functions/tasks in the emergency plan and/or new partner or support roles for an identified task and have assumed responsibility for their implementation.
III.	Clarifying Existing Functions and Tasks and/or Roles/Responsibilities 2007	Services/Departments have modified function/task descriptions to provide further clarity around their role and for specific cases, the responsibility for some tasks has changed as a result of these discussions and has been agreed to and approved by the respective partners.

Please refer to supportive documentation -Table 1.0 for a detailed overview of the recommended amendments to the City’s Emergency Management Plan. Many of the identified revisions and updates pertain mostly to Chapter 3 Specific Emergency Functions of the City’s Emergency Management Plan and the EMP Steering Committee approved these amendments on February 13^th, 2007.

Membership of the Emergency Management Program (EMP) Committee

Every municipality is required to have an emergency management program committee. For the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program, a multi-agency EMP Steering Committee (chaired by the City Manager) has been established to oversee and approve the program’s deliverables. The Steering Committee membership includes the City’s Deputy City Managers for Community and Protective Services, Public Works and Services, Planning, Transit and the Environment, the Chief Corporate Services Officer, the Chief Communications Officer, the Medical Officer of Health, the Manager of the Office of Emergency Management, and the Chiefs of Police, Fire, and Paramedics. The Emergency Management Program Steering Committee also functions as the Municipal Emergency Control Group in an emergency. A Working Group/Committee comprised of representatives from each of the city’s departments/branches and services as identified above has also been established to develop and implement the program’s deliverables. External stakeholders from the Hospitals of Ottawa and the Province have also been engaged to participate in the program.

Designation of a Community Emergency Management Coordinator

According to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, the City is required to designate an employee of the municipality as its emergency management program coordinator. The person holding this position has the following responsibilities: (1) coordination of the development and implementation of the City’s emergency management program and (2) coordination of the City’s emergency management program with the emergency management programs of other municipalities, of ministries of the Ontario Government and of organizations outside government that are involved in emergency management. The Emergency Management Program Coordinator shall report to the municipality’s Emergency Management Program Committee on the work accomplished. It is recommended that the Manager in the Office of Emergency Management be designated as the primary Community Emergency Management Coordinator and be delegated the authority to designate alternate(s).

Designation of the Community Emergency Information Officer

Every municipality shall designate an employee of the municipality as its emergency information officer who shall act as the primary media and public contact for the municipality in an emergency. It is recommended that the person holding the position of Chief Communications Officer in the City Manager’s Office or his or her designate be designated the Community Emergency Information Officer.

Annual Review by Council of the Emergency Management Program

Under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, the City is required to conduct an annual review of its emergency management program. The results of this review are reported to Committee and Council annually.

Delegation of authority to the Manager, Office of Emergency Management

Delegation of authority to the Manager, Office of Emergency Management to make minor administrative amendments or to update functional responsibilities to the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Plan and its appendices provided the EMP Steering Committee has approved the changes. The emergency management cycle is a process of continuous evolution. As the City structure changes and services/departments have the opportunity to use and integrate the emergency plan into their operations, the emergency management plan will continue to evolve. Based on ongoing feedback from partners and participants in both training exercises and real events, the plan needs to be modified on a continual basis to improve is effectiveness. In order to capture these changes in a timely and efficient manner, it is recommended that all-future modifications to the plan will be vetted by the EMP Working Group to the EMP Steering Committee for approval. This Steering Committee (chaired by the City Manager) also functions as the Municipal Emergency Control Group and its membership directs the municipality’s response in an emergency, including the implementation of the municipality’s emergency management plan. Accordingly, the EMP Steering Committee would be given the authority by Committee and Council to revise and approve any amendments to the respective plan. In addition, this committee will conduct an annual review of the program and shall provide updates and/or recommendations to the CPS Committee and Council for its revision if necessary. Provided that the Emergency Management Program Committee has approved the changes, the Manager of the Office of Emergency Management will be authorized to make minor administrative changes, to reflect organizational changes within the City’s administration or to update functional responsibilities to the Emergency Management Plan and its appendices.

Municipal Evacuation Plan

The Municipal Evacuation Project was identified as a priority in the Emergency Management Program (EMP) contributing directly to the Public Safety & Health Agenda in the City’s Corporate Plan. A multi-departmental project team was created to develop the Municipal Evacuation Plan. The Evacuation Plan describes the planning and coordination of an evacuation or sheltering in place of any group larger than 50 people. It builds on existing municipal emergency plans and the standard operating procedures of the City of Ottawa’s departments and services. The plan describes how an evacuation or shelter-in-place will be managed in the City of Ottawa, its coordination structure, general and specific evacuation functions. Supportive documentation describes the responsibilities and tasks of each person directly involved in the management and coordination of the evacuation and it provides specific tools and job aids, such as position checklists and planning templates. The evacuation plan was completed in July 2006. Between September and December 2006, the EMP Working Group members consulted staff in their respective departments and branches to ensure an understanding of the plan and the impact of its future implementation. The EMP Steering Committee approved the plan on February 13^th, 2007. Included with this report is the request for approval of the municipal evacuation plan.

2007 EMP Work plan and Identified Gaps

For continued progress on the Emergency Management Program the following initiatives are planned in 2007:

Emergency Personnel Identification System

This project will be completed and will ensure city employees are provided with appropriate identification and access at the site of an emergency.

· Implementation of the Disaster Psychosocial Plan

A multi-disciplinary team comprised of city staff from Employment and Financial Assistance, Public Health, Employee Assistance Program, Police, Paramedics, and Fire are responsible for developing this project. This plan aims to provide disaster psychosocial planners, managers, responders and community partners within the City of Ottawa with operational procedures to be followed when implementing disaster psychosocial programs following a large-scale disaster. It consists of three distinct outreach programs as follows: (1) Community Outreach in support of recovery efforts for the public at large, (2) Employee Assistance and (3) First Responders. For Programs 2 and 3, recovery efforts include provision of support to city staff as well as to their families.

The plan is scheduled for completion and will be tabled for approval to the EMP Steering Committee and subsequently to CPS Committee and Council. Based on the budget directions, a full implementation of the plan that includes training the appropriate staff will not be conducted in 2007. Without this training, the ability to respond to the psychosocial needs of city staff and residents will be limited.

· Implementation of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Explosive (CBRNE) Team Response Plan

A multi-disciplinary team comprised of members from Ottawa Fire Services, Ottawa Paramedic Service, Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Public Health, Public Works and Services, Planning Transit and the Environment, and the Hospitals of Ottawa worked on the development of this plan. This plan identifies shared emergency response functions, describes the responsibilities of each agency, and outlines the preparedness, equipment and training activities required for the agencies to coordinate, communicate and respond together effectively during a complex CBRNE emergency.

The plan is scheduled for completion and will be tabled for approval to the EMP Steering Committee and subsequently to CPS Committee and Council. Based on budget directions, a full implementation of the plan that includes training the appropriate staff will not be conducted and opportunities to submit a 2007/2008 JEPP application seeking $100,000 for additional protection and decontamination equipment will be lost in 2007.

This will in turn, limit the city’s ability to respond to the needs of its citizens in the event of a complex CBRNE occurrence.

· Implementation of the Urban Search and Rescue Response (USAR) Plan

In 2006, work began on the development and coordination of a locally deployable, multi-disciplined, 68-member Medium Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team. This highly integrated team is specialized in rescuing victims from major structural collapse or other entrapments and is comprised of personnel skilled in search and rescue, medical, and structural assessments. To date, a best practices review has been conducted and documented and a multi-agency response plan has been drafted. Through matching funding opportunities (JEPP), some USAR specific-equipment has been identified and procured as highlighted under leverage funding. This Ottawa-based USAR team is not only a valuable resource because it enhances the city’s response capacity and rescue capability to structural collapses, but also, Federal and Provincial authorities have acknowledged its importance providing 75% funding to match the city’s contribution of 25%. For 2005/06 and 2006/07, the City received approval for JEPP grants totalling $292,000.

The plan is scheduled for completion and will be tabled for approval to the EMP Steering Committee and subsequently to CPS Committee and Council. Based on 2007 budget directions, a full implementation of the plan that includes training the appropriate staff will not be conducted and the opportunity to submit a 2007/2008 JEPP application seeking $395,000 for additional equipment will be lost.

· Implementation of the Municipal Evacuation Plan

Following its approval, the municipal evacuation plan, Version 1.0 will be partially implemented as follows:

Ø The Office of Emergency Management will be responsible for regular reviews and updates, as well as distributing and maintaining controlled copies of the plan. The OEM will also ensure that lessons learned from exercises and actual events are considered during plan reviews and that all future modifications are highlighted to the EMP Steering Committee for approval.

Ø EMP Working group members will be conducting a review of their department and service emergency plans and Standard Operating Procedures to ensure there is coherency with the Municipal Evacuation Plan.

Ø Key messages will be developed to educate the public on "What to do in case of an evacuation" and/or "What to do in case of an order to shelter in place". These messages will be delivered to the public during Emergency Preparedness Week in May 2007.

Ø Limited training and exercise activities specific to the Evacuation plan will be conducted with staff

However, based on 2007 budget directions, the opportunity to submit a 2007/2008 JEPP application seeking $30,000 in grant funding will be lost and the following activities related to Evacuation Planning will not be implemented:

Ø The creation of additional tools to aid the emergency responders in making decisions related to evacuations will be delayed.

Ø Planning related to repatriation of displaced citizens will be delayed until 2008.

· Training and Exercise Program

The Emergency Management Training and Exercise Program is designed to provide training to key decision makers and emergency response personnel for the City on their roles and responsibilities in managing the emergency situation and in turn, ensure there is an effective and coordinated response.

In Spring 2007, the first Ottawa-specific Basic Emergency Management (BEM) Course will be offered as detailed in the update to the development of emergency management training and exercise program. In 2007, work will continue on the curriculum development for ten additional courses, however, the delivery and implementation of training will be delayed as a result of budget directions. Delays in training may in turn limit the city’s ability to respond to emergency events in a coordinated and effective manner.

· Municipal Joint Partnership Protocols Project

Several key emergency functions and tasks identified in the City’s emergency management plan require the active participation of partners external to City staff and resources. This project aims to secure their participation by formalizing joint response protocols that will in turn improve coordination and response during an event. It aims to improve working relationships with partners and ensure that roles and responsibilities and expectations are clearly understood by the partners in the event of an emergency. To date, research on best practices has been completed.

In 2007, a multi-disciplinary team will be established to begin work on formalizing the agreements with external partners. However, based on budget directions, the number of agreements that will be formally established will be limited resulting in possible delays in accessing key resources. Having only a limited number of pre-established agreements will mean that the City would have to engage its respective partners on various emergency response issues during the course of an emergency event potentially impacting the effectiveness of the response.

· Emergency Information System

As part of the EOC improvements, technological enhancements that provide a means to electronically document an event as well as manage information flow within the EOC, across the corporation and with external stakeholders are being explored for future implementation. For example, this system will include technology that will assist support personnel in managing major events and chronologically documenting the emergency event and the actions taken by key decision makers. It will also provide the ability to track and manage resource requests and assets, and display key information geospatially to improve decisions and information sharing processes. As a result of 2007 budget directions, the opportunity to submit a 2007/2008 JEPP application seeking $10,000 for the purchase of software will be lost. The purchase of this system will be delayed which will in turn limit the city’s overall ability to manage information and resources relative to the emergency response.

· Public Alerting and Notification Project

Currently, the City of Ottawa relies on the local media, the 3-1-1 Contact Centre and the City website as a means to communicate and provide information to the public. Building on the current process this project would enable the City to utilize additional means such as telephone notification, radio and television pre-emptive messages improving the City’s ability to relay critical information to the public. Due to 2007 budget directions this project will be delayed resulting in lost opportunities to tie in with the Emergency Information System.

CONCLUSION

The City of Ottawa and its partner agencies have a longstanding excellent reputation within the field of emergency management and continue to strive for excellence. Through the rigorous project management structure in place to complete the projects and the ongoing training activities developed to ensure effectiveness during an emergency, Ottawa continues to lead Canadian municipalities in the area of Emergency Management. To that end, the Emergency Management Program engages all city departments/branches and services across the corporation as well as external partners fostering collaboration and communication on emergency management initiatives.

As a result of 2007 budget directions, EMP project work has been put on hold. Where possible, limited activity will be conducted in order to continue to work towards meeting future legislative standards however without 2007 funding, there is a risk that the City will not be in position to meet these standards. Furthermore, the City’s capacity and capability to meet Ottawa-specific emergency management needs will be limited. Further delays in addressing known risks and gaps in turn impact the city’s ability to respond effectively to complex CBRNE events and major structural collapses and to address the Psychosocial needs of the public and City Staff. It also impacts the City’s ability to share and communicate critical information to the Public.

As a result of the 2007 budget directions, funding was not approved for the Emergency Management Program which has consequently resulted in the following projects being put on hold: Implementation of the Disaster Psychosocial Plan, Implementation of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Explosive (CBRNE) Team Response Plan, Implementation of the Urban Search and Rescue Response (USAR) Plan, Implementation of the Municipal Evacuation Plan.

In order for the Emergency Management Program to continue to improve the City’s capability to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies the Office of Emergency Management needs to move forward with these planned 2007 initiatives.

CONSULTATION

The Emergency Management Program Working Group and Emergency Management Ontario were consulted during the development of the Emergency Management Program and its respective projects. Accordingly, the EMP Steering Committee has received reports and information updates on the Emergency Management Program.

Corporate Legal Services assisted with the development of the program and the by-law pursuant to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection 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. The funding committed by City Council to EMP is aimed at optimizing the City’s emergency management capabilities by addressing multi-agency emergency management initiatives that could not be funded within a single unit’s operating budget. For the 2007 budget, $1.5 million in capital funds was requested to ensure that the identified projects could continue to be developed and implemented. This budget request was not approved. Consequently, projects cannot be implemented and JEPP funding cannot be acquired as outlined in this report.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1 - By-Law to adopt the Emergency Management Program including Schedule A, B, C

Document 2 - Municipal Emergency Management Plan, Version 1.0 (Issued Separately)

Document 3 - Table 1.0 – Summary of Amendments to Municipal Emergency Plan, Version 1.0

(Issued Separately)

Document 4 - Municipal Evacuation Plan, Version 1.0 (dated February 13^th, 2007) (Issued Separately)

Document 5 - Letter for Lebanese Repatriation (On file with the City Clerk’s office)

Document 6 - Letter for Kashechewan Evacuation (On file with the City Clerk’s office)

DISPOSITION

Upon approval of this report by Committee and Council, staff within the Office of Emergency Management will work with Legal to finalize the Emergency Management Program by-law. Office of Emergency Management to maintain and administer the Emergency Management Program and the associated Emergency Management Plan including conducting an annual review and update to Committee and Council.

Document 1

BY-LAW NO. 2007-

A by-law of the City of Ottawa to adopt an emergency management program for the City of Ottawa.

WHEREAS subsection 1 of section 2.1 of the Emergency Management Act and Civil Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter E.9, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the “Act”) requires every municipality to develop and implement an emergency management program;

AND WHEREAS subsection (2) of section 2.1 of the Act stipulates the content of each municipality’s emergency management program;

AND WHEREAS Section 14 of the Act requires an emergency management program to conform to the regulatory standards that may be made by the Solicitor General;

THEREFORE the Council of the City of Ottawa enacts as follows:

9. The Emergency Management Program attached as Schedule “A” to this by-law is adopted for the City of Ottawa.

10. The Emergency Management Plan attached as Schedule “B” to this by-law is adopted for the City of Ottawa.

3. (1) The membership of the Emergency Management Program Committee shall be as described on Schedule “C” to this by-law and this Committee shall also serve as the Municipal Emergency Control Group.

11. The responsibilities of the Emergency Management Program Committee include the following:

12. to advise Council on the development and implementation of the city’s emergency management program;

13. to conduct an annual review of the City’s emergency management program and make recommendations to Council for its revision if necessary;

14. to direct the city’s response in an emergency including the implementation of the City’s emergency management plan;

(e) to develop procedures to govern its responsibilities in an emergency; and

(f) to conduct an annual practice exercise for a simulated emergency incident in order to evaluate the City’s emergency management plan and to make recommendations to Council for the revision of the emergency management plan.

9. The person holding the position of Manager in the Office of Emergency Management in the Community and Protective Services Department or his or her designate is designated the Community Emergency Management Co-ordinator with the following responsibilities:

(a) co-ordination of the development and implementation of the City’s emergency management program

(b) co-ordination of the municipality’s emergency management program in so far as possible with the emergency management programs of other municipalities, of ministries of the Ontario government and of organizations outside government that are involved in emergency management.

10. The person holding the position of Chief Communications Officer in the City Manager’s Office or his or her designate is designated the Community Emergency Information Officer to act as the primary media and public contact for the City in an emergency.

11. The City of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program shall be reviewed annually by Council.

7. (1) The Manager, Office of Emergency Management is authorized to make minor administrative changes to the Emergency Management Plan to reflect organizational changes within the City’s administration or to update functional responsibilities provided that the Emergency Management Program Committee has approved the change.

12. The City Solicitor is authorized to place a by-law implementing such administrative changes directly on the Agenda of Council.

13. This by-law includes Schedules “A”, “B” and “C” annexed hereto and Schedules “A”, “B” and “C” are hereby declared to form part of this by-law.

14. This by-law may be referred to as the “Emergency Management By-law”.

ENACTED AND PASSED this day of ,2007.

CITY CLERK MAYOR