2018 APPLICATION FORM Community Emergency Preparedness Fund

Emergency Operations Centres & Training

Phone: 250 387-4470 E-mail: cepf@ubcm.ca Mail: 525 Government Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 0A8

2018 APPLICATION FORM

Please complete and return this form by February 2, 2018. All questions are required to be answered by typing directly in this form. For detailed instructions regarding application requirements, please refer to the 2018 Emergency Operations Centres & Training Program & Application Guide.

SECTION 1: APPLICANT INFORMATION

* Contact person must be an authorized representative of the applying local authority or Treaty First Nation.

SECTION 2: PROJECT INFORMATION

1. NAME OF PROJECT.

Emergency Operations Centre

2. EMERGENCY PLAN.

Please describe the extent to which the proposed project will 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 Centre and First Nations emergency plans as well as 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 sleeping items and food 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.

3. MASS CARE.

Please describe the extent to which the proposed project will consider mass care 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 requested laptops will contain ESS plans that will be easily accessed to review mass care protocol. Radios will provide additional means of communication from EOC Operations staff including the ESS branch coordinator to our Reception Centre Managers who will be dealing with mass care issues.

4. TRANSFERABILITY.

Please describe the extent to which the proposed project will demonstrate transferability to other local governments and/or Treaty First Nations.

Currently our fire department has an automatic aid/mutual agreement with the City of Colwood for fire response and also shares an Emergency Social Services Team (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. Our intent is to increase mobility so there is immediate capacity to assist other municipalities in local or regional events where additional resources are required.

5. PARTNERSHIPS.

Please identify any other authorities you will collaborate with on the proposed project and 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.

How will a collaborative approach leverage efficiencies and be a cost effective approach to maintaining or improving EOC operations.

As stated, we currently have partnerships in place, but for the larger Greater Victoria region, equipment and supplies as well as training is easily shared and thereby improves overall regional capacity to manage regional events. We have a mobile Command Post that can be moved anywhere in the region to augment EOC operations. Because of our mobility, the equipment requested in this application can be used in neighbouring municipalites and beyond should there be a greater need elsewhere. Therefore, overall capacity in the Greater Victoria region and the Province is enhanced.

6. PROPOSED ACTIVITIES.

What specific activities will be undertaken as part of the proposed project. Please refer to Section 4 of the Program & Application Guide. A detailed list of equipment purchases is required in your budget.

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 our current supplies and purchase new items that will improve efficiency and management of our EOC team. This includes the following items:

• Cots: required during extended activation of the EOC for staff who need rest between shifts in the EOC
• Blankets: same as cots
• Laptops: for administration and management of EOC functions during emergencies and disasters. Many of the EOC forms are electronic and will be stored on laptops. The addition of laptops will increase staff mobility and provide easier relocation of staff and equipment to secondary and tertiary EOC locations or to other municipalties or First Nations communities in need. Furthermore the laptops will provide a platform for training in Emergency Management and EOC operations. The laptops will provide immediate access to EOC forms, plans and social media. This will most benefit those working in the Information Officer roles as well as Logistics and Planning Sections.
• Portable Printers: For use in reception centres to print off forms for record keeping and providing hard copy information to volunteers and evacuees.
• 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 bridge the gap short term until water services were restored and/or outside supply of water arrived.
• Phone Charging Cables: The Town uses iPhones as a primary source of communication. In an emergency it will be important to keep these phones charged to ensure uninterrupted access to communication in the EOC. Additional cables for use by EOC staff will be kept at both the primary and secondary EOC locations for use in an emergency or disaster.
• EOC Position Checklist and Holder: Portable emergency plan holder specifically used to avoid confusion and omitting or duplicating tasks
• EOC Event Logs and charts, Dry Erase: Currently the town has blank white boards but no organizational charts and logs that would help coordinate resources and document event activities. These charts will allow us to better conduct event tracking, including tracking of resources, strategies, tactics, communications, and maintain a chronological log of actions that will be displayed for EOC staff to easily view. Charts are also portable for quick stowage and relocation to alternate EOC Locations and can be used during all training session with municipal and First Nations staff.
• Training and Exercises: Applied EOC training through Justice Institute of BC and assistance to write, coordinate, deliver, observe and critique an EOC exercise for Town staff, First Nation Partners and other stakeholders in the community.
• Portable Radios: Motorola 8000 portable radio with CREST frequencies programmed in for immediate communication in the EOC, from EOC Operations section staff to Incident Commanders in the field, and to our Reception Centres. This will alleviate the need for Amateur Radio Operators to use two sytems and allow them to concentrate on the larger system of communications through municipal and provincial networks. The radios will also speed up message transmissions internally and externally. They will also be used to increase communication capability regionally in a large scale event.

7. CAPACITY BUILDING.

Describe how the proposed project will increase emergency response capacity 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 mobility, communications, and EOC efficiency thereby increasing overall capacity to respond and recover from a large emergency or disaster locally, regionally or provincially.

8. EVALUATION.

How will the project be evaluated?

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 training exercises.

SECTION 3: REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS

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, or First Nation Band Council resolution, indicating support for the current proposed activities and willingness to provide overall grant management.
• Detailed budget for the proposed project. Include a breakdown of desired equipment to be purchased, work activities, training activities, and other considerations or comments. The budget must also clearly identify the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund funding request, applicant contribution, and/or other grant funding.

SECTION 4: SIGNATURE (To be signed by Local Government or First Nation Applicant)

I certify that: (1) to the best of my knowledge, all information is accurate and (2) the area covered by the proposed project is within our local authority’s jurisdiction (or appropriate approvals are in place).

All applications should be submitted to: Local Government Program Services, Union of BC Municipalities E-mail: cepf@ubcm.ca Mail: 525 Government Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 0A8