(slide 1)
Good Morning (or afternoon). My name is Wyman Jacque and I am the
Town Manager for the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. With me are:
(introduce any associates)
(slide 2)
I appreciate this opportunity to address the panel. I understand there have
been some issues raised throughout this procedure with respect to the town’s
emergency response to potential risks. Today, I will give a brief overview of
the Town’s Peacetime Disaster Plan and how the Lower Churchill Project
will be incorporated as part of our plan.
(slide 3)
A peacetime disaster is an occurrence, or the threat of an occurrence, within
the town boundaries or nearby, which involves the risk of loss of life or
property, or which threatens the safety, welfare and well-being of some or
all of the residents of our town. Disasters would include: floods, hurricanes,
windstorms, blizzards, explosions, aircraft or ship disasters, toxic or
flammable gas escapes, uncontrollable fires, collapse of buildings or
structures.
(slide 4)
The Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay has had a Peacetime Disaster Plan
for over 20 years. It is the Town’s responsibility to have this plan, as
legislated through the Department of Municipal Affairs. The Town plan is
updated on a regular basis, particularly with respect to contact information
and equipment available. The plan identifies and outlines the specific
responsibilities of our municipal services, equipment, partner resources and
the volunteer groups available within the Town. The partners involved in our
plan include the RCMP, Labrador Grenfell Health, Department of Human
Resources, Labour and Employment, Service Canada, Department of
Forestry, Department of Environment, Department of Transportation,
Department of National Defence, Serco and Nalcor.
(slide 5)
In the event of any type of disaster occurring, the procedures are consistent.
A disaster site is declared by the Mayor, the Town Manager assumes the role
of the Emergency Operational Centre Coordinator, the Emergency
Operational Centre is activated, the Emergency Operational Centre Group is
assembled and the Town Council is assembled.
(slide 6)
The RCMP is responsible for site management and overall control of the
scene for all emergencies or disasters occurring within the municipality,
including those involving aircraft outside the area of CFB Goose Bay. DND
is responsible for on-site management and overall control at the scene for all
emergencies or disasters occurring within the area of CFB Goose Bay.
(slide 7)
So, the emergency operations centre has been activated and the Operational
Centre Group has assembled there as well as the Town Council. The
Emergency Committee consists of the Mayor, Town Manager, NCO
Commanding RCMP, Fire Chief, both Superintendents of Works, Town
Clerk, Local Medical Advisor, HRLE, Serco, GBAC, Service Canada, DND.
As Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator, the Town Manager is
responsible for the overall coordination, liaison, and management of the
Emergency Operations Centre.
Everyone assembled in the EOC has specific responsibilities. For example
the superintendent of works road transport and the superintendent of works
water and sewer are responsible for the following:
 Coordination of all works services
 Implementation of supplies, pumping, emergency services such as
water operations, etc. as designated by the Town Manager
 Ensure maximum utilization of town equipment and resources
 Liaise with DND, Provincial and local contractors with respect to
requirements for equipment/transportation and other resources
 Establish an emergency transport service (buses/vehicles for possible
mass evacuation)
 Supply transportation for EOC control group.
Now, as everyone can see from this slide, the emergency operations centre is
located in the Town Hall. The alternate site is the RCMP Headquarters. I’m
sure people are thinking what good is that if there’s a flood? They are both
in a potential flood area. This is one of the issues that the Town is looking
into now.
(slide 8)
While flooding is already a component of our existing plan, we need to
incorporate the dam break information provided by Nalcor. We realize that
the possibility of this type of disaster happening is extremely remote
however we must plan for the worse case scenario to ensure the safety of our
citizens. We have already begun this process by meeting with Nalcor
officials. The first meeting we had to discuss the dam break study was in
2009 with various partner stakeholders and other community representatives
attending. Since that time, additional information concerning the dam break
study was provided in August 2010. Council and management had a
workshop with Nalcor official to discuss the potential affects on our
community and this additional information regarding dam breaks were part
of those discussions.
As we are all aware, this project is not built yet and there is ample time to
incorporate the information. In fact, the Town will be undertaking an entire
review of its Peacetime Disaster Plan through a process called Capability
Based Planning. Through this we, with the assistance of experts in this area,
will identify potential gaps and seek resolutions for those gaps. The Town
acknowledges that we do not have the resources to address potential issues
that may arise from this proposed project. We will be looking to Nalcor to
assist both with the planning and funding of any of these issues. The Town
has already identified three gaps with regards to a potential dam break: the
location of the Emergency Operations Centre and its alternate site, the need
for another emergency evacuation route and where those evacuated would
be housed during the emergency. We will be addressing these gaps, and any
others as identified through the Capability Based Planning, through
discussions with our partner organizations. Nalcor, as one of our partner
organizations, will be part of these discussions and has already indicated
their willingness to assist the Town as we move forward through this
process. Once completed, there will be training through mock disasters,
public education of the plan and preparation for emergencies, as well as
ongoing updating of information.
I’d like to thank the Panel for this opportunity to discuss our Peacetime
Disaster Plan and am willing to answer any questions they or the public may
have.