Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness

Last updated
Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (British Columbia)
Agency overview
Formed1996
Jurisdiction Province of British Columbia
Headquarters Victoria, British Columbia
Minister responsible
  • The Honourable Kelly Greene [1] , Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness
Agency executives
  • Teresa Dobmeier, Deputy Minister
  • Jennifer McGuire, Associate Deputy Minister
Website

The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR), formerly Emergency Management BC (EMBC), is a provincial government department in the Canadian province of British Columbia. EMCR works with local governments and other provincial and federal agencies year round, providing coordination and support before, during and after emergencies. EMCR is administered under the B.C. Emergency and Disaster Management Act.

Contents

EMCR has its headquarters in Victoria, British Columbia, and incorporates six regional offices throughout the province in Surrey, Kamloops, Nelson, Terrace, Prince George and Victoria.

The current minister is Kelly Greene.

British Columbia Emergency Management System

The Province of British Columbia has developed and adopted the British Columbia Emergency Management System (BCEMS).

BCEMS is a comprehensive emergency management system based on the Incident Command System (ICS). This supports a coordinated and organized response and recovery to all emergency incidents and disasters.

Emergency management planning and response

Multi-agency hazard plans for B.C. are prepared and updated regularly by the province to ensure an effective strategy is in place to address many possible types of emergencies and disasters. These plans foster cooperation among multiple organizations. They focus on public safety, infrastructure and property protection and management of the aftermath of events.

British Columbia's comprehensive emergency management system promotes a coordinated and organized response to all emergency incidents and disasters. The structure provides the framework for a standardized emergency response in the province.

At the most fundamental level, it is up to the individual to know about the risks in their region and what to do in an emergency to protect themselves and their family. Everyone should be aware of the importance of Personal Emergency Preparedness.

Local governments lead the initial response to emergencies and disasters in their communities. They have emergency plans and maintain an emergency management organization to support the actions of first responders.

The provincial emergency management structure is activated when a B.C. community or any significant infrastructure is threatened by an emergency or disaster that may require additional or specialized resources.

Disaster Financial Assistance

British Columbia has a program to help those impacted by a disaster cope with the cost of repairs and recovery from disaster-related property damage.

The Disaster Financial Assistance Program (DFA) is administered through EMCR under the authority of the Compensation and Disaster Financial Assistance Regulation. [2]

Those impacted by a disaster may apply to the province for Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) where the losses could not be insured or where other programs are not available. Disaster financial assistance helps to replace or restore essential items and property that have been destroyed or damaged to pre-disaster condition.

Assistance is available to qualifying home owners, residential tenants, small businesses, farm operators, and not-for-profit charitable organizations.

Public safety

About 13,000 people across the province volunteer their time and expertise in preparing for and responding to emergency situations. EMCR provides support for many volunteers and also provides the essential legal authority to recognized volunteer groups in responding to emergencies and disasters. Registered public safety lifeline volunteers are eligible for some benefits and basic response expenses. There is additional support available in the way of coordination and training [3]

Emergency volunteers come from every corner of the province and from all walks of life. Public safety lifeline volunteers respond to an average of 6,000 incidents a year, in all kinds of weather, any place, any time.

Emergency Support Services

Emergency Support Services (previously known as Emergency Social Services) provides short-term assistance to British Columbians who are forced to leave their homes because of fire, floods, earthquakes or other emergencies. This assistance includes food, lodging, clothing, emotional support and family reunification [4]

Ground Search and Rescue

Annually, Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers in BC respond to over 1000 searches province-wide. Volunteer responders donate over 120,000 hours of their time on callouts and recent statistics show an astounding 95% of the subjects were found [5]

Search and rescue is further broken down into individual teams what operate in an area of the province where they are responsible for familiarity and access (e.g., North Shore Rescue). They may be tasked from a variety of agencies such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, local police force, BC Ambulance, or the Coroner's service, and can be called to assist the Coast Guard, Department of National Defence, and Parks Canada. A number of search and rescue teams in BC are also trained and equipped for using the Helicopter Flight Rescue System to aid in rescuing people from dangerous or remote terrain.

In 2005 there were 93 individual SAR teams in the province, comprising approximately 4700 volunteers, and conducting an average of 900 operations per year, locating an average of 1200 people per year. [6]

EMBC-affiliated ground SAR teams in BC are represented by the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association, as well as by their individual teams.

Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue

In 2017, EMBC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR), which allows for provincial and local response agencies to access humanitarian assistance from RCMSAR in coastal and inland waterways. As a core function, RCMSAR responds to over 800 SAR missions annually from its 33 volunteer lifeboat stations. RCMSAR comprises over 1,100 volunteers and a small cadre of paid staff.

Provincial Emergency Program Air Search & Rescue

PEP Air's primary function is to assist Canadian Forces during search and rescue missions when additional resources are required. Currently, the organization includes over 100 aircraft crewed by more than 700 pilots, spotters and navigators.p [7]

BC Road Rescue Service

BC Road Rescue is an organized service with members who may be requested to provide support to people involved in out-of-jurisdiction motor vehicle accidents where specialized skills and equipment are required. [8]

Emergency radio communications

During disasters and other serious emergency situations, when many other systems fail, a proven reliable means of communication has been emergency radio communications, notably Amateur Radio or "ham" radio. Emergency radio is a public safety lifeline that assists within the community and links the community in crisis to where relief and support can be coordinated. [9]

Volunteers' powers, privileges and recognition

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Search and rescue</span> Search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger

Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search is conducted over. These include mountain rescue; ground search and rescue, including the use of search and rescue dogs ; urban search and rescue in cities; combat search and rescue on the battlefield and air-sea rescue over water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First responder</span> Trained emergency personnel

A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency. First responders typically include law enforcement officers, emergency medical services members, fire service members and Public Works employees such as Heavy Equipment Operators as well as Public Works Tree Department personnel. In some jurisdictions, emergency department personnel, such as doctors and nurses, are also required to respond to disasters and critical situations, designating them first responders; in other jurisdictions, military and security forces may also be authorized to act as first responders.

Public Safety Canada, legally incorporated as the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (PSEPC), is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for (most) matters of public safety, emergency management, national security, and emergency preparedness in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emergency management</span> Dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies

Emergency management is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actually focus on the management of emergencies; emergencies can be understood as minor events with limited impacts and are managed through the day-to-day functions of a community. Instead, emergency management focuses on the management of disasters, which are events that produce more impacts than a community can handle on its own. The management of disasters tends to require some combination of activity from individuals and households, organizations, local, and/or higher levels of government. Although many different terminologies exist globally, the activities of emergency management can be generally categorized into preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery, although other terms such as disaster risk reduction and prevention are also common. The outcome of emergency management is to prevent disasters and where this is not possible, to reduce their harmful impacts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary</span> Canadian search and rescue marine association

The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary is a Canada-wide volunteer marine association dedicated to marine search and rescue (SAR) and the promotion of boating safety, through association with the Canadian Coast Guard under the auspices of Canada's National Search and Rescue Program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Search and Rescue Program</span> Canadian government program

The National Search and Rescue Program (NSP) is the name given by the Government of Canada to the collective search and rescue (SAR) activities in Canada. Until 2015, the NSP was administered by the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disaster Preparedness and Response Team</span> Pakistani NGO team (2005)

The Disaster Preparedness and Response Team is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) established in Pakistan in November 2005 following the Pakistan Quake. However it was not registered as a voluntary agency until 2006. It is composed of civilian volunteers who give some of their time to train and in major emergencies act as volunteer disaster workers.

Emergency Support Services (ESS) is a component of Emergency Management British Columbia. As of March 2023, EMBC became part of the B.C. Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness ESS are those services required to preserve the well-being of people affected by an emergency or disaster. Teams are established in local municipalities and assemble together for meetings and contingency planning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John Ambulance Canada</span> Medical organization

St. John Ambulance in Canada, or SJA (French: Ambulance Saint-Jean Canada, is a confederation of St John Ambulance Provincial and Territorial Councils under mandate by the "St John Councils Regulations 1975" of the Royal Charter, Statutes and Regulations of the Order of St John. Each Council is governed by a Board of Directors under Provincial or Territorial incorporating legislation together with the St John Ambulance Priory in Canada, incorporated under the federal Canada Not For Profit Corporations Act. The Priory provides support services to the Councils and manages the Order of St. John in Canada. The Councils deliver the mandate of training, product sales and volunteer community services and are responsible for their own governance, operations and management.

Citizen Corps is a program under the Department of Homeland Security, founded in 2002 as part of the USA Freedom Corps, that provides training for the population of the United States to assist in the recovery after a disaster or terrorist attack. Each local Citizen Corps Council partners with organizations, volunteers and businesses to organize responders, volunteers and professional first responders for an efficient response so efforts are not wasted by being duplicated. By training in Incident Command, volunteers know whom to report to and how the incident is organized. This prevents sites from being inundated by untrained and unprepared personnel preventing operation. Citizen Corps also works in conjunction with the Corporation for National and Community Service in promoting national service opportunities for promoting homeland security needs.

Auxiliary constables or reserve constables are unpaid citizens in Canada who volunteer their time and skills to a police force. They are uniformed, unarmed members who perform a similar role to their UK counterparts in the Special Constabulary. Their main function is to supplement the police force with additional manpower, with duties varying by appointment, geographical location and the needs of the specific detachment/department.

The National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) was an independent portfolio organization within the Government of Canada's Department of National Defence, established in 1986 as one of the recommendations resulting from the Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Ocean Ranger disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Office of Emergency Management</span> Office of Emergency Management for the City of Toronto.

Toronto Emergency Management (TEM), formerly the TorontoOffice of Emergency Management, is a municipal division and office of emergency management for the City of Toronto responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts for the municipal government in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Emergency Management helps to coordinate the city's emergency response and recovery efforts through various city divisions and agencies, provincial and federal governments, non-governmental organizations, and private sector partners, to ensure the city is prepared to handle natural disasters, public health emergencies, technological incidents, and other crises. It is also responsible for the City’s Emergency Plan and the Emergency Operations Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disaster Response Route</span>

Disaster Response Route (DRR) is a network of pre-identified municipal and provincial roads in the Province of British Columbia, Canada that can best move emergency services and supplies to where they are needed in the event of a major disaster. These roads are part of the Coordinated Regional Emergency Transportation Strategy and are intended for emergency responders when a disaster strikes and are not evacuation routes for the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helicopter flight rescue system</span> System to carry people below a helicopter in flight

The helicopter flight rescue system (HFRS) is a helicopter insertion and extraction tool that utilizes a longline and personnel carrying device system (PCDS) to carry human loads below a helicopter in flight. These systems are often referred to as "long line", "short haul", Class D fixed line (CDFL), and other terms, and is similar to other helicopter long line systems in use throughout the world. By extending a rescuer below the aircraft and allowing the aircraft to remain clear of obstacles while a rescue is performed, a pilot can insert or extract rescuers and subjects in most types of terrain.

The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services is a California cabinet-level office responsible for overseeing and coordinating emergency preparedness, response, recovery and homeland security activities within the state. The agency was created by AB 38 (2008), superseding both the Office of Emergency Services (OES) and Office of Homeland Security (OHS).

Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) is a volunteer marine rescue service that saves lives and promotes public recreational boating safety throughout the coastal and some inland waters of the province of British Columbia and is associated with the national organization of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Many countries around the world have civil defense organizations dedicated to protecting civilians from military attacks and providing rescue services after widespread disasters. In most countries, civil defense is a government-managed and often volunteer-staffed organization.

Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) is the office of emergency management and division of the Ontario government, responsible for coordinating and overseeing emergency management across the province of Ontario, Canada. EMO sits within the Treasury Board Secretariat, and is responsible for planning for, responding to and recovering from all man-made or natural disasters within the province. Established in 1980, EMO plays a key role in ensuring municipalities and provincial ministries implement comprehensive emergency management initiatives.

References

  1. ↑ https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024PREM0067-001590
  2. ↑ "Financial assistance in a disaster - Province of British Columbia".
  3. ↑ "Public safety volunteers - Province of British Columbia".
  4. ↑ "Emergency Support Services (ESS) volunteers - Province of British Columbia".
  5. ↑ "Search and rescue volunteers - Province of British Columbia".
  6. ↑ "Ground SAR Backgrounder" (PDF). Provincial Emergency Program. 2007-06-14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  7. ↑ "Provincial emergency program (PEP) air volunteers - Province of British Columbia".
  8. ↑ "Road rescue volunteers - Province of British Columbia".
  9. ↑ "Emergency radio communication volunteers - Province of British Columbia".
  10. ↑ https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/legislation-debates-proceedings/42nd-parliament/4th-session/votes-and-proceedings/v231108
  11. ↑ https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/legislation-debates-proceedings/42nd-parliament/4th-session/bills/third-reading/gov31-3
  12. ↑ "Public safety volunteers - Province of British Columbia".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.