Evacuation Route Planning 2018 Program & Application Guide

Evacuation Route Planning

2018 Program & Application Guide

1. Introduction

The Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) is a suite of funding programs intended to enhance the resiliency of local governments and their residents in responding to emergencies. Funding is provided by the Province of BC and is administered by Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).

The funding streams include:

• Emergency operations centres and training
• Emergency social services
• Evacuation route planning
• Flood risk assessment, flood mapping and flood mitigation planning
• Structural flood mitigation

Background Efficient and safe evacuation routes are needed for the movement of people, livestock, animals and personal property from an area of imminent or actual threat to an area of safety.

As noted in BC Evacuation Operational Guidelines (2009), “depending on the nature and scope of the event, evacuations may be limited to a single building or affect a large area such as a whole community. Successful and detailed planning is the key to effectively executed evacuations when an event occurs that requires these actions.”

Evacuation Route Planning Funding Stream The intent of this funding stream is to support eligible applicants to develop Evacuation Route Plans for communities that would otherwise be challenged to successfully undertake an evacuation operation during an emergency.

2. Eligible Applicants

All local authorities (as defined by the Emergency Program Act) and Treaty First Nations (as defined by the Interpretation Act) in BC are eligible to apply.

3. Eligible Projects

In order to qualify for funding, applications must demonstrate the extent to which the proposed project addresses existing challenges to successfully implement evacuations in the event of an emergency.

In addition, to qualify for funding, projects must be:

• A new project (retroactive funding is not available)
• Capable of completion by the applicant within one year from the date of grant approval
• In alignment with the provincial Evacuation Operational Guidelines (2009)

4. Eligible & Ineligible Costs & Activities

Eligible Costs & Activities Eligible costs are direct costs that are approved by the CEPF Evaluation Committee, properly and reasonably incurred, and paid by the applicant to carry out eligible activities. Eligible costs can only be incurred from the date of application submission until the final report is submitted.

Eligible activities must be cost-effective and may include:

• Completion of an Evacuation Route Plan, including data collection, as an addendum to the local Emergency Plan
• Preparation of maps, spatial data, and metadata
• Presentation of the Evacuation Route Plan to Council, Board or Treaty First Nation government, community organizations, etc.
• Amendments to relevant local authority plans, bylaws or policies that are specific to evacuation route planning (e.g. Official Community Plan, land use plans, engineering and public works bylaws or policies)

The following expenditures are also eligible provided they relate directly to the eligible activities identified above:

• Consultant costs
• Incremental applicant staff and administration costs
• Public information costs

Ineligible Costs & Activities Any activity that is not outlined above or is not directly connected to activities approved in the application by the CEPF Evaluation Committee is ineligible for grant funding. This includes:

• Routine or on-going operating or planning costs
• Costs associated with an actual evacuation event
• Costs related to developing or submitting the application package

5. Grant Maximum

The Evacuation Route Planning funding stream can contribute a maximum of 100% of the cost of eligible activities to a maximum of $25,000.00.

In order to ensure transparency and accountability in the expenditure of public funds, all other grant contributions for eligible portions of the project must be declared and, depending on the total value, may decrease the value of the grant.

6. Application Requirements & Process

Application Deadline The application deadline is November 30, 2018. Applicants will be advised of the status of their application within 90 days of the application deadline.

Required Application Contents

• Completed Application Form
• Local government Council or Board resolution, or Treaty 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.

Submission of Applications Applications should be submitted as Word or PDF files. If you choose to submit your application by e-mail, hard copies do not need to follow.

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

Review of Applications UBCM will perform a preliminary review of applications to ensure the required application elements (identified above) have been submitted and to ensure that basic eligibility criteria have been met. Only complete application packages will be reviewed.

Following this, Emergency Management BC will assess and score all eligible applications as part of a technical review process. Higher application review scores will be given to projects that:

• Demonstrate evidence of local hazards (e.g. as identified in the Emergency Plan); threat levels (e.g. as identified in Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Analysis, Community Wildfire Protection Plans and/or flood risk assessments) and previous emergencies (e.g. evacuations that were ordered)
• Identify and address existing challenges to successfully implement an evacuation in the event of an emergency, such as:
  • Identification and capacity of available routes
  • Methods of evacuation (e.g. personal and commercial vehicles, boats, helicopters, etc.)
  • Modes of transportation (rail, water, air and road) including active transportation (e.g. walking, biking, etc.)
  • Anticipated speed of progression of local hazards (i.e. wildfire, tsunami, flood, etc.)
  • Availability of early warning systems or other emergency notification tools
  • Other factors that impact the functionality of evacuation routes
• Consider large scale emergency social services scenarios
• Support recommendations or requirements identified in the local Emergency Plan
• Demonstrate transferability to other local governments and First Nations in BC
• Include in-kind or cash contributions to the project from the eligible applicant, community partners or other grant funding
• Are cost-effective

Point values and weighting have been established within each of these scoring criteria. Only those applications that meet a minimum threshold point value will be considered for funding.

Following technical review, the CEPF Evaluation Committee will review all applications and a summary of each technical review. Funding decisions will be made on a provincial priority basis.

All application materials will be shared with the Province of BC

7. Grant Management & Applicant Responsibilities

Grants are awarded to eligible applicants only and, as such, the applicant is responsible for completion of the project as approved and for meeting reporting requirements.

Applicants are also responsible for proper fiscal management, including maintaining acceptable accounting records for the project. UBCM reserves the right to audit these records.

Notice of Funding Decision All applicants will receive written notice of funding decisions, which will include the terms and conditions of any grant that is awarded.

Grants under the Evacuation Route Planning funding stream are paid at the completion of the project and only when the final report requirements have been met.

Please note that in cases where revisions are required to an application, or an application has been approved in principle only, the applicant has 30 days from the date of the written notice of the status of the application to complete the application requirements. Applications that are not completed within 30 days may be closed.

Changes to Approved Projects Approved grants are specific to the project as identified in the application, and grant funds are not transferable to other projects. Approval from the CEPF Evaluation Committee will be required for any significant variation from the approved project.

To propose changes to an approved project, approved applicants are required to submit:

• Revised application package, including updated, signed application form, updated budget and an updated resolution
• Written rationale for proposed changes to activities and/or expenditures

The revised application package will receive a second technical review, and then be reviewed by the CEPF Evaluation Committee at the next scheduled meeting.

Applicants are responsible for any costs above the approved grant unless a revised application is submitted and approved prior to work being undertaken.

Extensions to Project End Date All approved activities are required to be completed within one year of approval. Under exceptional circumstances, an extension beyond this date may be requested in writing and is subject to approval by the CEPF Evaluation Committee.

8. Final Report Requirements & Process

All funded activities must be completed within one year of notification of funding approval and the final report is due within 30 days of project completion.

Applicants are required to submit an electronic copy of the complete final report, including the following:

• Completed Final Report Form
• Financial summary
• Electronic copy of the completed Evacuation Route Plan
• Full size PDF maps (of all maps included in the completed plan)
• Spatial data and metadata for all maps identified above. LiDAR and orthoimagery products must meet Specifications for LiDAR for the Province of British Columbia
• Optional: photos and/or media directly related to the funded project

Submission of Final Reports All final reports 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

Review of Final Reports UBCM will perform a preliminary review of all final reports to ensure the required report elements (identified above) have been submitted. Following this, all complete final reports and deliverables will be reviewed by Emergency Management BC.

All final report materials will be shared with the Province of BC.

9. Additional Information

For enquiries about the application process or general enquiries about the program, please contact:

Union of BC Municipalities 525 Government Street Victoria, BC, V8V 0A8 E-mail: cepf@ubcm.ca Phone: (250) 387-4470