The Other Side of the
Yellow Tape
ESSNA Forum
West Edmonton Mall
November 26, 2014
Scott Cameron, The City of Red Deer
The Other Side of the Yellow Tape
An analysis of the ESS Learning Event Data from the
2013 Southern Alberta Flood
@ESSNetworkAB
#essnalearningevent
2013 Southern Alberta Floods
ESSNA Learning Event – March 20-21, 2014
High River, Alberta
Learning Event Goal
Communities that activated their
Emergency Social Services plans
in response to the 2013 Southern
Alberta floods have an opportunity
to reflect on their experience,
identify themes and shared
learnings, and explore
opportunities to improve systems
associated with the activation.
Learning Event Findings
Methodology
• Read through raw qualitative data from Learning Event inductively.
• Developed seven non-mutually exclusive codes/themes that
emerged from data:
– Successes/Strengths
– Communication with Stakeholders
– Needs of Affected People
– Defining Roles and Responsibilities
– Training
– Policy and Planning
– Funding
Learning Event Findings
Methodology
• Coded each piece of data using one of seven colours
• Organized data by colours; looked for patterns within each theme.
• Learning Event participants identified strategies for improvement:
– Quick Win, Short Term, Longer Term
Learning Event Findings
ESS Strengths and Successes in 2013
• Adaptability
• Communication
• People-First Approach
Areas for Strategic
Improvement
Learning Event Findings
Communication
“Everything we discussed came back to communication. The
importance of it, the lack of it. How it led to problems and issues
that could have been dealt with in a timely fashion.”
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Communications with EOC
Communications with Provincial Government & AEMA
Communication within Municipalities
Communications with NGOs
Communication with Local and Affected People
Learning Event Findings
Strategies for Improvement
• Ensure there is an embargo time prior to the public announcement
to allow appropriate numbers of staff and volunteers to prepare
(Quick Win – Province of AB)
• Try to build ESS into the annual AEMA summit so that all emergency
services (Quick Win – AEMA)
• Foster better communication with government department and EOC
about making the people/relationship connection (Short Term –
ESSNA)
• Ensure that the right people are communicating information and
making decisions (Short Term – Municipal Government)
Learning Event Findings
Needs of Affected People
•
•
•
•
•
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Focus on Locals
Operating the Reception Centre
Extending Services
Sensitivity
Sense of Community
Empowering Evacuees
Learning Event Findings
Strategies for Improvement
• Ensure that reentry is in ESS Plan (Quick Win– Municipal)
• Residents at evacuation centre given opportunity to help (Quick Win
– Municipal)
• Recruit volunteers from community (Quick Win – Municipal)
• Locate resources to help seniors not able to use cots, dropped off
without meds, etc. (Longer Term– NGO Council)
• Address reluctance of many residents to register (Longer Term –
NGO Council)
Learning Event Findings
Defining Roles and Responsibilities
• Which level of government has responsibilities for which decisions?
• How do affected municipalities ask for help?
• Lines of Authority: Local vs. Non-Local
Learning Event Findings
Strategies for Improvement
• Sort out relationship with Red Cross (Quick Win – Municipal)
• Clarify and differentiate EOC and municipal responsibilities (Quick
Win – Municipal)
• Make ESS personnel integral part of decision-making process
(Quick Win - Province of Alberta)
• Organize a forum – “Who’s Who in the Zoo” (Short Term - ESSNA)
• Create an electronic registration form that will work Alberta-wide
(Longer Term - Province of AB )
• Template forms – overtime for staff and cost-recovery processes
(Longer Term - Municipal Government)
• Determine appropriate roles for political leaders (Longer Term Municipal)
Learning Event Findings
Training
• Regional Collaborative Training
• Database of Contacts
• Re-entry and Recovery Issues
• Mitigating Staff and Volunteer Burnout
Learning Event Findings
Strategies for Improvement
• Develop standardized forms for tracking time and payroll (Quick
Win – ESSNA)
• Prepare database of people trained in ESS management and
promote it to municipalities (Quick Win – ESSNA)
• Use database of volunteers from 2013 to create and train teams
(Quick Win – Municipal)
• Hold training and practice at least once a month (Quick Win –
Municipal)
• Develop plan for the kind of tasks volunteers will be needed for
(Quick Win – Municipal)
Learning Event Findings
Strategies for Improvement
• Plan Table-tops in spring and fall every year (Short Term –
Municipal)
• Develop team leaders for all critical functions in operating
evacuation centre (Short Term – Municipal)
• Define process for overriding normal rules for health inspectors
(Longer Term – NGO)
• Create rotational work schedules and responsibilities, allowing for
mentorship of junior staff (Longer Term – ESSNA)
Learning Event Findings
Policy and Planning
• Common Templates and Documents for ESSNA
• Inclusion of ESS within ICS
• Pre-established contracts
• Identifiable and Transparent Lines of Command
Learning Event Findings
Strategies for Improvement
• Develop a regional cooperative group with emergency management
and ESS (Quick Win – Regional Collaboration)
• Make people in leadership positions easily identifiable (Quick Win –
Municipal)
• Modify ICS to incorporate section chief for ESS (Quick Win –
Municipal)
• Lobby government to set up training standards for ESS (Short Term
– Regional Collaboration)
• Standardization of forms and agreements, province-wide (Short
Term – ESSNA)
• Adopt provincially standardized registration system (Longer Term –
Other)
Learning Event Findings
Funding
• ESS as small part of job duties
• More funding to support ESS work
• Dedicated, full-time or part-time, ESS Staff
In Conclusion
Learning Event Findings
In Conclusion
• Breakdown of Responsibility for Strategies
– 45% municipal
– 15% ESSNA
– Balance was AEMA, Provincial Government, Regional
Collaboration, NGO’s, etc.
• Local officials and volunteers in best position to move
recommendations forward
• Municipalities should clarify roles within and roles with external
organizations
• Most emergency planning accounts for only the first few days of
event
• Community-development approach: Involving affected people as
volunteers.
Learning Event Findings
In Conclusion
• Recommendations for ESSNA
– Improving communication among stakeholders
– Developing and sharing best practices
– Supporting ESS training in Alberta
• Recommendations for Province of AB
– Consult ESS staff and local government prior to making
decisions
– Have operating standards in place prior to disaster
• Recommendations for AEMA
– Take emergency social services staff more seriously, involve
them in EOC activities and training exercises, communicate with
ESSNA, and recognize the important role that social services
play in a disaster
FEEDBACK
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