The term “response” refers to actions taken in direct response to an imminent or occurring emergency/disaster in order to manage its consequences. This phase of emergency management involves measures to limit loss of life, minimize suffering, and reduce personal injury and property damage. It also includes the initiation of plans and actions to support recovery.
BCEMS allows for the integration of response structures and practices into a unified incident management system that is applicable to all levels of government, business and industry, and not-for-profit organizations.
GVFD
The GVFD is generally the first one on scene at an emergency. The first thing they do is a “size up”, put a plan together and then summon the appropriate resources. This gets done in the first minute or two.
- Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department (GVFD) Website
- Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (GFPID) Website
Sometimes there is confusion between the GVFD and the GFPID. The GFPID is the official entity that holds the operational arm, the GVFD. The GVFD is not a legal entity, it is just the common name. The GFPID is an improvement district, which is a local government.
Evacuations
There are two types of evacuations, tactical and strategic. Tactical ones are the ad hoc ones. They happen because the fire is licking at people’s heels and is ordered by the fire department or RCMP. Strategic ones are the ones that have plans. They are ordered by the council of the local government.
On Gabriola, the plans for a strategic evacuation are the RDN’s responsibility and consist of an RDN Emergency Plan, RDN Evacuation Operational Guideline and RDN, Electoral Area B, Evacuation Route Guide. The Emergency Plan should specify how to set up the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is the organization that will call for a strategic evacuation, as per the RDN Evacuation OG and the Route Guide.
I have asked the RDN for both the RDN Emergency Plan and the RDN Evacuation Operational Guideline. The response I got from Vanessa Craig was “because these are internal operational plans which are regularly updated, they are not posted/shared around to ensure that outdated copies aren’t being relied upon by residents or by staff or community/emergency partners”. Basically, we’re not getting them. I don’t agree with that, but I don’t care enough about it to fight with them. It probably doesn’t matter much anyways, as there are plenty of emergency plans on the internet that spell out how communities plan to set up EOCs and call for evacuations. They are all kind of the same.
The reason these emergency plans and evacuation plans are all kind of the same, is because there is Provincial guidance.
- Emergency Management Planning Guide for Local Authorities and First Nations
- A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Emergency Management Plans for Local Authorities and First Nations in British Columbia
- Evacuation Operational Guide for First Nations and Local Authorities in BC
- A guide to managing evacuations during emergency response
I would expect that the RDN followed these, but who knows. I certainly don’t.
If anyone out there has a bootleg copy of the RDN Emergency Plan or RDN Evacuation OG, get it to me and I will post it here.
- The RDN has a good web page called Evacuations
- BC has a great web page called Emergency Evacuee Guidance for the Public
- RDN Reception Centers Map
- On Gabriola we have the Community Hall and Rollo Center as reception centers.
RCMP
RCMP is on island. They certainly do emergency response.
BCAS
BC Ambulance Service is a well used emergency response service on Gabriola.
BC Wildfire Service
BC Wildfire Service will be called for most any significant interface fire.
RCM SAR Station 27
Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue gets called to searches and rescues in the waters around Gabriola. They also have the capabilities to do shore line rescue on Gabriola and does train with the GVFD.
Nanaimo SAR
Not many people are getting lost on Gabriola, but people still do. Nanaimo Ground Search and Rescue is there to help.
Emergency Social Services (ESS)
Emergency Social Services (ESS) is another thing that Shirley Nicholson has dialed in on the island. This is a provincial program that is administered through the RDN.
The vision statement of the ESS program is; Emergency Support Services is a Provincial Program delivered by First Nations Governments and Local Authorities that meets the basic needs of British Columbians impacted by disasters by providing short-term support in a compassionate manner.
It is not about providing support for everyone, as the Province expects us to take care of ourselves. They expect us to lean on family and friends, or rely on our insurance, or just foot the hotel and food bill ourselves. ESS is there for people who don’t have this capacity. I strongly support the program. I understand that many people support themselves on a day to day basis, but live close to the edge and an unscheduled emergency evacuation is something that they can’t financially handle. It’s not a big deal, ESS is there to support them.
I am super impressed by how well this program is laid out. It is exceptionally well done. They have this ESS Program Guide which completely spells out how the ESS program works.