Emergency Management Planning Agenda Makes Great Strides in 2012

The Provincial Government is commending the emergency management planning efforts that took place throughout Newfoundland and Labrador in 2012. The Emergency Services Act, which was proclaimed in 2009, required all municipalities, local service districts and Inuit communities to have updated emergency management plans in place by May 2012.

“Significant progress in emergency management was made in our province this year and I am pleased to see the vast majority of communities planning for the possible emergencies which could come our way,” said the Honourable Kevin O’Brien, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services. “From the Labrador forest fire to the threat of Hurricane Leslie, a number of communities saw their emergency management plans tested this year, providing an opportunity to validate efforts and demonstrate the importance of planning to ensure everyone understands their role in an emergency. I congratulate these communities for their commitment to public safety.”

Fire and Emergency Services - Newfoundland and Labrador (FES-NL) reports that 81 per cent of municipalities representing 96 per cent of the population are engaged in the emergency management process and are actively undergoing emergency planning efforts. FES-NL’s regional emergency management and planning officers throughout Newfoundland and Labrador have provided dedicated, hands-on support assisting community leaders in all areas of the province and continue to be focused on encouraging communities currently without a plan to become compliant with the legislation. Training efforts in 2012 saw 23 emergency management course deliveries, certifying 422 participants ranging from municipal staff, community volunteers, emergency responders, and members of the public service throughout the province.

“Emergency management is a continuous process, requiring regular updating, familiarization and exercising of plans to ensure a constant state of readiness,” noted Minister O’Brien. “As we have experienced this year, both natural and human-made emergencies can happen at any time. All communities and organizations, including the Provincial Government, need to ensure we are in the best possible position to protect residents and infrastructure, and to respond if needed.”

The Provincial Government also developed and implemented a Provincial Emergency Management Plan (PEMP), as required by the act, ahead of the May 2012 deadline. The PEMP was instrumental in the preparations for the threat of Hurricane Leslie in September, as Provincial Government departments and agencies readied resources in the event they were required.

With the assistance of FES-NL staff, a number of communities also took an important step forward in 2012 by holding tabletop exercises – group discussions guided by a simulated situated emergency situation – to validate their emergency management plans. Individual community or regional plans were exercised by the City of Corner Brook, Isthmus of Avalon (Come by Chance and area), Conception Bay South, and the City of St. John’s. Exercises are already being planned for 2013 in Gander, Harbour Breton, Lewisporte, Baie Verte, Ming’s Bight, Stephenville, St. Anthony, Deer Lake and Port aux Basques. In addition, the Provincial Government will exercise its own emergency management and business continuity plans in the new year.

FES-NL conducts semi-annual Fire and Emergency Services training schools, and regional emergency management and firefighter training sessions in an effort to provide important instruction, guidance, and assistance. Provincial staff have held more than 250 workshops, meetings, and training sessions in various aspects of emergency management since 2010.

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Media contact:
Cheryl Gullage
Public Relations Specialist
Fire and Emergency Services - Newfoundland and Labrador
709-729-0857, 631-9962
cherylgullage@gov.nl.ca 

2012 12 31             10:00 a.m.