Gov’t proposes to identify responsibilities and improve co-ordination between municipalities and first responders
The Alberta government hopes new regulatory changes will help municipalities better respond to fires, flooding or other natural disasters.
The proposed changes were introduced in the legislature April 3.
In an early draft, the province proposes that it develop a plan with various communities to set out who is responsible for what, as well as provide local officials with new training programs. Additional details are expected to come following the province’s planned consultation sessions with municipalities, First Nations and Metis communities.
Currently, municipalities are responsible for emergency events, unless the province declares a state of emergency. Those responsibilities won’t change, but the proposed regulations note some municipal emergency plans could be improved. As well, not every municipality has a full-time emergency management director to declare states of emergency.
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“Training and review is extremely important because staff and elected officials need to know their roles in advance of an event so they can be the most effective when the event takes place,” said Al Kemmere, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta.
Better co-ordination between municipalities and first responders is also part of the proposed changes.
In the past, communication issues have arisen during evacuations, according to government audits. For instance, during the Fort McMurray wildfire in 2016, communication broke down when one fire crew chief failed to inform the municipality that the fire was approaching the city. Instead, the municipality learned through social media about the imminent threat. There have also been calls for better communication following the Slave Lake fire in 2011 and the southern Alberta floods in 2013.
“We have to make sure we are all on the same page and understand each other’s roles and responsibilities,” said Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson. “In these disasters, in these big fires, especially, they don’t see boundaries. They go across multiple jurisdictions, so we need to make sure they’re ready to work together.”
Since the Fort McMurray fire, the government allowed for the expansion of a radio system that could be used province-wide. The system lets firefighters, as well as police, medical and other first responders communicate with one another. It was shown to be effective during the Fort McMurray fire.
As well, the government has said such disasters are becoming more common. For instance, fires in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan last fall spread quickly, affecting various farms and ranches, as well as resulting in the death of James Hargrave, a young rancher and volunteer firefighter.
Provincial officials have noted those southern Alberta fires were handled reasonably well and said the new regulations likely would have made responsibilities clearer. For instance, the county, the town, national defence units and national park officials would communicate and figure out how to best tackle the situation.
The province also recommends that it be made clear to citizens that if they refuse to evacuate during an evacuation order, they must accept the liability of their actions.
This rule is currently in place, but municipalities have asked for more clarity out of concern they could be liable for citizens’ actions. If a person fails to evacuate under an order, they could face a $10,000 fine or prison time for up to a year. They could also face a combination of jail time and fines.
As well, it’s proposed that if the province or municipality damages someone’s property for reasons related to the emergency, the person will be reimbursed. If the province disagrees with the monetary value, the parties can go for arbitration.
However, if property is damaged by the disaster, citizens will have to rely on insurance.
The Alberta government plans to return with permanent changes to the bill during the fall session of the legislature later this year.
