The Other Side of the Yellow Tape

ESSNA ForumWest Edmonton MallNovember 26, 2014

Scott Cameron, The City of Red Deer

The Other Side of the Yellow Tape

@ESSNetworkAB

#essnalearningeve

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An analysis of the ESS Learning Event Data from the 2013 Southern Alberta Flood

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.

ESSNA Learning Event – March 20-21, 2014High River, Alberta

2013 Southern Alberta Floods

•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 FindingsMethodology

•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 FindingsMethodology

Learning Event Findings

• Adaptability

• Communication

• People-First Approach    

ESS Strengths and Successes in 2013

Areas for Strategic Improvement

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.”

• 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

• 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

Learning Event Findings

In Conclusion

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

Learning Event Findings

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