2022 Application Form: Emergency Operations Centres & Training

Emergency Operations Centres & Training

2022 Application Form

Please complete and return the application form by February 25, 2022. All questions are required to be answered by typing directly in this form. If you have any questions, contact cepf@ubcm.ca or (250) 387-4470.

SECTION 1: Applicant Information

* Contact person must be an authorized representative of the applicant (i.e. staff member or elected official).

SECTION 2: For Regional Projects Only

1. Identification of Partnering Applicants. For all regional projects, please list all of the partnering eligible applicants included in this application. Refer to Section 2 in the Program & Application Guide for eligibility. None

2. Rationale for Regional Projects. Please provide a rationale for submitting a regional application and describe how this approach will support cost-efficiencies in the total grant request. N/A

SECTION 3: Project Information

3. Project Information A. Project Title: EOC Equipment and installation, Supplies, and Training B. Proposed start and end dates. Start: June 1, 2022. End: May 31, 2023

4. Project Cost & Grant Request: Total proposed project budget: $25,000 Total proposed grant request: $25,000

Have you applied for, or received funding for, this project from other sources? If yes, please indicate the source and the amount of funding received or applied for. No

5. Project Summary. Provide a summary of your project in 150 words or less. This project entails improving our EOCs management capability by replacing our obsolete laptops for Section Chiefs in the EOC and installing commercial base station radios into our Town Hall and our Public Safety Building. We will bolster our supply of emergency rations and water for consumption by EOC staff should the supply chain be adversely affected after a catastrophic event and provide EOC training and exercises.

6. Emergency Plan. Describe the extent to which the proposed project will specifically support recommendations or requirements identified in the local Emergency Plan. The proposed project will support requirements of View Royal's primary and secondary Emergency Operations Centres, First Nations emergency plans and our Colwood/View Royal ESS Plan. As per the Emergency Program Act, as a local authority we have a mandate to provide Emergency Operations capability to coordinate emergency activities and resources during an emergency or disaster. Supplies such as food and water will allow us to better maintain our EOC shifts and staffing as per our emergency plan and maintain continuous EOC Operations for extended events. Our emergency plan also requires us to conduct regular training and exercises. This proposal supports that requirement.

SECTION 4: Detailed Project Information

7. Proposed Activities. What specific activities will be undertaken as part of the proposed project? Refer to Section 4 of the Program & Application Guide for eligibility. Our proposed activitity is to bolster our equipment and supplies, and increase training and exercises to build capacity and create efficiencies in scenarios where the EOC needs to be activated, in particular, during a catastrophic event affecting more than one community in the region. Specifically we wish to add to and update our current supplies and purchase new items that will improve efficiency and management of our EOC team. This includes the following items:

• Food, freeze dried, vacuum sealed, 25 yr shelf life: to provide initial nourishment of EOC staff during a catastrophic event where sustained operations are necessary. This would be required to help bridge a shortage of food until outside help arrived.
  • Water, "Blue Can", 50 yr shelf life: to provide initial requirement for water to EOC Staff should there be a disruption in municipal water supply after a disaster. This would help bridge the gap short term until water services were restored and/or outside supply of water arrived.
  • Training and Exercises: EOC training and subsequent exercise delivered by a training service provider. This includes drafting, coordinating, delivering, observing and critiquing EOC training sessions and exercise for Town staff, First Nation partners and other stakeholders in the community.
  • Commercial Radio Installation: we currently have two mobile radios with an assigned frequency from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada that are designated for base stations at our Town Hall EOC and our Public Safety Building EOC. They will be used to establish immediate communication to the EOC, from Town staff who work outside including our Parks Department, Building Department and bylaw departments. This project will see the installation of these radios at both locations so we can have them operational this year.
  • Laptops: We have four laptops that are over 12 years old and are now obsolete and must be replaced. Without these replacements the capability of our EOC will be decreased.

8. Capacity Building. Describe how the proposed project will increase emergency response capacity (i.e. having the physical resources and the skills to respond to emergencies) in your community. As the wildfires and floods of the past years in BC have shown, optimization of the efficiency of EOC's and possessing the capacity and ability to swiftly assist other BC municipalities in times of crisis is paramount. The items requested in this application will provide improved communications and EOC efficiency thereby increasing overall capacity to respond and recover from a large emergency or disaster locally, regionally or provincially.

9. Emergency Support Services. Describe the extent to which the proposed project will consider large scale emergency support services scenarios. By improving the resources and supplies in our EOC, we will enhance overall EOC operations. In turn this will mean better communication and management of ESS operations, thereby enhancing mass care. The intalled radios will provide a redundancy and parallel communication as the event unfolds and ESS is deployed. Laptops will help supplement ESS functions when EOC is not activated. Training provided will continue to familiarize staff with ESS opertions and the relationship with the EOC.

10. Transferability. Describe the extent to which the proposed project may offer transferable resources and supplies to other local governments and/or First Nations (e.g. trained staff and/or equipment that will be made available to other communities, training resources, and exercise plans other communities will be invited to utilize, etc.). Currently our fire department has an automatic aid/mutual agreement with the City of Colwood and City of Langford for fire response and we also share an Emergency Social Services Team with the City of Colwood (managed by View Royal but funded by both municipalities). View Royal also provides fire and emergency management services to Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations which gives us great flexibility in applying resources to local emergencies within one municipality or our First Nation communities and any emergencies that may cross borders. The resources requested in this application will provide additional regional capacity should we be required to host another community that has been evacuated or combine Emergency Operations Centres. This project will increase our mobility of EOC resources so there is immediate capacity to assist other municipalities in local or regional events where additional resources are required.

11. Partnerships. In addition to Question 1, if applicable, identify any partners you will collaborate with on the proposed project and specifically outline how you intend to work together. A partnership for ESS resources and services (personnel, facilities and equipment, administration) was established in 2008 between the City of Colwood and the Town of View Royal. Our fire departments already work together closely through mutual and automatic aid thus uniting our ESS team was logical. This move provided both communities greater capacity for level one callouts as well as mass care scenarios. Additionally, we work closely with our First Nations neighbours who we provide Fire and Emergency management services to. In turn they have offered up additional resources and facilities that will help increase capacity such as trained EOC staff and a large gymnasium suitable for mass care. In terms of exercises and training, our neighbouring municipalities, agencies and other stakeholders will be invited to participate, thereby increasing opportunity to gain familiarity with each others capability and capacity and learn best practices.

12. Evaluation. How will the project be evaluated? How will performance measures and/or benchmarks be used to measure outcomes (i.e. tracking the number of training events and exercises, external evaluators, etc.)? The success of this project will be measured by our increased capacity and response during events where the EOC is activated, and by a decrease in identified gaps post EOC activation and training exercises.

13. Progress to Date. If you received funding under the 2018, 2019, 2020, or 2021 Emergency Operations Centres & Training funding stream intakes, please describe the progress you have made in increasing EOC capacity. Funding received in 2018 and 2020 was used to bolster our EOC supplies, specifically additional laptops and commercial radios which are mostly readily available at both our primary and secondary EOC locations and are used for DOC/ICP and training purposes also. EOC Charts have helped create effeiciency and provide additional decision making tools for Planning and Operations (well used in exercises an during COVID 19 EOC activation). Portable CREST radios have allowed us additional communications capability to the EOC, and relieved burden on other comms mediums and have provided additional capacity for Emergency Management Officer to quickly monitor any event in the region. EOC postiion checklist holders are ready for use and have been populated with laminated checklists Our emergency food and water was increased however we still need to continue to build on those resources to meet capacity.

14. Additional Information. Please share any other information you think may help support your submission. Thank you for the opportunity to apply for this valuable funding. We trust the information in this application is sufficient for you to approve the grant. If you require more information regarding this application, please do not hesitate to contact us.

SECTION 5: Required Attachments

Only complete applications will be considered for funding. The following separate attachments are required to be submitted as part of the application:

• Local government Council or Board resolution, Band Council resolution, or First Nation resolution, indicating support for the current proposed activities and willingness to provide overall grant management.
• Detailed budget for each component identified in the application. This must clearly identify the CEPF funding request, applicant contribution, and/or other grant funding.
• For regional projects only: local government Council or Board resolution, Band Council resolution, or First Nation resolution from each partnering applicant that clearly states their approval for the primary applicant to apply for, receive, and manage the grant funding on their behalf.

SECTION 6: Signature

Applications are required to be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant. Please note all application materials will be shared with the Province of BC.

I certify that: (1) to the best of my knowledge, all information is accurate, (2) the area covered by the proposed project is within the applicant’s jurisdiction (or appropriate approvals are in place) and (3) we understand that this project may be subject to a compliance audit under the program.

* Signatory must be an authorized representative of the applicant (i.e. staff member or elected official).

Submit applications to: Local Government Program Services, Union of BC Municipalities E-mail: cepf@ubcm.ca