Alberta Emergency Management Agency

‘Alberta - A Province Prepared’

The Agency Critical Event

Response Plan Signed into action by Managing Director September 13th 2007

Critical Event Response Plan

Aim• To ensure a timely and effective Agency

response to all critical events to support community and government responders

• To raise awareness of the services the Agency can offer communities in support of public safety

General Policy

• Agency policy to over-respond and then scale back as necessary

• The plan is supported by a Duty Manager and on-call field staff - their duties take precedence over all other tasks

• The province is divided into 3 regions, each with 1 on-call staff ready to deploy

ScopeCritical Event Response Plan

• Defined criteria for Critical Event and its assessment

• The right response – quick, efficient and guaranteed

• Clarity - standby field staff report on-site assessment directly to Duty Manager

• Shortening of reporting and decision making from field staff to the MD (1 step through Duty Manager)

Continued…

ScopeCritical Event Response Plan

• Multi disciplinary approach enabling influence of events at site and MEOC, including:– Providing support to community– Agency evaluation of:

• Incident severity• Community response capacity• Required Agency or other GOA, Industry action/resources

– Providing real time advice and options to community based emergency managers

– Improved accuracy and currency of information to the Duty Manager

– Consistent Agency service to all communities– Greater agility in resource provision to communities

Critical Event CriteriaCritical Event Response Plan

In order to confirm whether Agency response is required, a critical event will be assessed against one or all of the following criteria:

• Multiple fatalities (5) or Injuries (10+),• Any evacuation that cannot be accommodated

within the community or where the municipality activates its Municipal Emergency Plan or components thereof

Continued…

Critical Event CriteriaCritical Event Response Plan

• Disruption of Critical Community Services i.e. Fire, Police, Hospital, Emergency Social Services, utilities (water treatment, phones, electricity, gas etc), Major Transportation Routes, Emergency Management Systems, 911, emergency warning systems, etc. or the potential disruption of any of the aforementioned

Continued…

Critical Event CriteriaCritical Event Response Plan

• Any event where the Community has requested assistance from AEMA, or is likely to request assistance, or where there has been a major deployment of other GOA resources, e.g. Alberta Environment Support Emergency Response Team (ASERT), Dangerous Goods Rail Safety (DGRS), Sustainable Resource Development – Wildfire Protection Division (SRD-WFPD), Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) etc

Continued…

Critical Event CriteriaCritical Event Response Plan

• A major incident outside Alberta that may have the potential to involve or affect a large number of Albertans, e.g. earthquake or Tsunami, air crash, repatriation from a foreign land, or an incident where assistance may be requested from the Province

• A critical, world-wide event that may generate Government or public interest, action, or enquiry, e.g. BC Earthquake, tsunami (SE Asia), international terrorist event (9/11), Katrina

• Any incident that is beyond the scope or the resources of the Community to provide an adequate response at present or in the immediate future

Continued…

Critical Event CriteriaCritical Event Response Plan

• Event with Political Considerations:– Involvement or questions by Members of

Cabinet or MLA's regarding the event– Potential problems with current laws,

Legislative process or Government Regulations or Codes

– Potential for serious Provincial liability– To reassure the public that the Government is

responding and providing assistance.

Critical Event SupportCritical Event Response Plan

• A full time duty officer dedicated to this plan in interim

• Building Agency capacity in operational readiness

• Creating media monitoring capability

Role of Duty Manager

• Duty Manager assumes role of Agency manager for each critical event

• Assesses incident against critical event criteria• Deploys field staff if required• Ensures Managing Director connected to event• Responsible for all measures necessary to

assist community in bringing event to conclusion• Hands event to GEOC if the event requires

provincial coordination

Role of Field Staff

• Field staff on-call for 7days on rotation

• On notice to deploy ASAP, but no later than 60 minutes

• As well as nearest on-call staff, resident field staff (District Officer and/or Fire Safety Officer) may also respond

Role of Field Staff

• At the event, field staff will:– Rapidly assess the situation– Request resource assistance or augmentation

from Duty Manager– Provide advice to community/Industry to

positively influence outcome– Ensure a joined-up approach from all GoA

representatives– Above all – they are there to connect with you

and help!

The value added

• We will be there

• Integrated, multi-disciplinary operational response

• Complete streamlining of system

• ‘Whole Agency’ approach

Operational ReadinessThe ‘ARC’

• The Agency is creating an Agency Operational Readiness Centre (ARC)

• This does not replace CIC, but in partnership, builds our own capability to efficiently gather the information we need, providing:– 24/7/365 single point of contact– constant monitoring capability provincially, nationally

and internationally. – standard operating guidelines and response protocols

for all critical events

Operational Concept Agency Readiness Centre

• Ability to collect, collate, analyze and disseminate information from all sources

• Ability to track and monitor all Agency responses

• Ability to track the location of all Senior Agency Managers and field staff

Closing remarks…

• The road from Wabamun is a well traveled one

• Never say never……

• Getting ‘out there’…!

Questions?

Colin LloydDirector of Community

Programs

Alberta Emergency Management Agency

colin.lloyd@gov.ab.ca(780) 415 9003 – office(780) 983 6795 - cell