Collaberation for Emergency Management

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- -         What is it worth?

- -         What will the cost be if we don’t do it right?

By:  William F. MacKay

When Environment Canada conducted the Bhopal Aftermath Review following a tragic chemical accident in India in 1984, the report made a number of recommendations to help prevent a similar incident in Canada. The recommendations were unique in that no one government department or industry could implement them unilaterally and the public and private sector organizations involved were encouraged to collaborate on implementation.

As there was no existing national forum to bring stakeholders together to work on the recommendations, the Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada (MIACC) was formed.  This multi stakeholder organization made progress on many of the recommendations until it lost its funding and was dissolved.

Two organizations stepped in to continue the work; The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE). Those interested in process safety management regrouped under CSChE and CAFC acquired the preparedness and response initiatives. Fire Chief Don Warden, then CAFC President, acquired the MIACC programs because they have the potential to protect fire service and other responders lives as well as members of the public. Many of MIACC’s preparedness and response supporters joined CAFC to continue the work and remain active supporters of CAFC and the Partnerships Toward Safer Communities (PTSC) program to this day. The unfortunate part of the transition was that much of the $750,000.00 pledged by MIACC supporters to keep it operating dried up during the transition.

Was the task finished and was collaboration no longer necessary?

The task was not finished according to recommendations made by one nearly completed MIACC project. A consensus based project involving three levels of government and industry concluded that improved collaboration within and between public and private sectors was a critical to improving hazmat response and emergency response in general. This project, even after numerous attempts to secure funding, unfortunately still sits on CAFC’s shelf waiting to be completed.

Has the progress made by governments, communities and industry made further collaboration unnecessary?  Is the need for cooperation any less today?

The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence issued in March 2004 does not seem to think so.  It uses words such as “muddling through”, “a chronic history of unreadiness” and “threat management record has been quite dismal” to describe the Canadian situation.  The report indicates inter governmental cooperation is still difficult to achieve and that smooth linkages and cooperation are required between all levels of government.  Also, the need to address terrorism related hazards has added to the urgency to effectively work together.

One has only to listen to speakers at the World Conference on Disaster Management  and other emergency management conferences to hear examples of government departments and private organizations working in silos or failing to collaborate.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities told CAFC in 2004 that CAFC’s commitment to consult with stakeholders and help municipal governments identify and develop tools to deal with emergency preparedness and management issues has value. They endorsed completion of the CAFC-PTSC Hazmat Recommendations project, the unfunded project which is sitting on the shelf, as a collaborative effort to help Canadian municipalities. The endorsement unfortunately comes without funding.

How do we proceed from here to put collaboration back on the front burner and turn up the heat?  What can you do to help?

Incorporating input received from members and government and industry stakeholders at the September  2004 CAFC annual conference, the working group is recommending a strategic change in direction to improve collaboration and effective lobbying on emergency management matters.  The change involves forming a new Canadian Public Safety and Security Emergency Management Partnership to expand partnerships developed under PTSC.

The goal of this new partnership is to encourage high and consistent standards for managing emergencies involving public safety and security. It will accomplish that goal by encouraging collaboration with a broader stakeholder base to reach collaborative solutions to common issues and lobby for the adoption of emergency management standards and a national incident management system. Key supporting activities include work on shelter-in-place or evacuation tools, public alerting policies and protocols and risk communication tools that are balanced with security concerns.

Completion of the Hazmat Recommendations project is a high priority based on the endorsement received from FCM and support demonstrated at the CAFC conference. Development of a new publication and resources to encourage community level collaboration between local responders and industry is another important project CAFC has been encouraged to undertake by its stakeholders.

CAFC and its partners provide a unique national forum for collaboration. This partnership, however, needs additional partners to become more effective and to make a real difference to emergency management in Canada.  Can you support them and help this new partnership make a difference? Here are some simple steps for your consideration. The first is to communicate that you support the partnership. Communicate to CAFC and those who operate the proposed CPSSEM Partnership that you individually and the organizations to which you belong support this partnership or specific projects.  Contacts are included at the end of the article. It also helps for you to communicate your support to your local Fire Chief.  The second is to commit to work collaboratively on projects of common interest. The third is to communicate your appreciation and support to private sector partners that support CAFC.  These are The Canadian Petroleum Products Institute, The Canadian Chemical Producers Association, The Canadian Fertilizer Institute and Community Alert Network Inc. and likewise communicate with supporting federal departments and provincial EMOs.

The existing partners will meet in Ottawa on November 24th to assess available support for the program’s new strategic direction and finalize plans for 2005. Any indication of support you can provide before that date will help decide the future of this important partnership.

To get back to our initial questions;

What is Collaboration worth?

It is worth a lot.  Some of the value involves savings in equipment and training, some is in improved cooperation, better working relationships, fewer roadblocks so necessary improvements are accomplished efficiently without waste resulting in lives and communities being better protected.

What is the cost if we do not collaborate effectively?

An inadequate emergency program and a less than effective response to an emergency incident have potential to cause loss of life, serious injury and hardship to responders and members of the public. An ineffective response and recovery operation has potential for serious economic consequences on a community following an incident, not to mention potential liabilities.

William F. MacKay - MacKay Emergency Management Consulting Inc. is Manager of Canadian Operations for Community Alert Network Inc. and a supporter of the CAFC Partnerships Toward Safer Communities program.