The Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act mandates municipalities to be pro-active and consistent in their approach to Emergency Management. Under the Act, all municipalities in Ontario (counties and local municipalities) must meet their emergency planning objectives following a phased approach. The United Counties of Leeds & Grenville, under the guidance of its Emergency Management Program Committee, maintains the Essential Level requirements of the Program, including the identification of critical infrastructure and assessing the most likely hazards to occur within Leeds and Grenville.

Emergency Management Program Committee

Kevin Spencer, the Counties' Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC), chairs the Committee and coordinates its activities. The alternate CEMC position is open currently.  The Emergency Management Program Committee holds regular meetings quarterly and as required. The committee is representative of the true diversity across the United Counties and the interest and commitment of the community in Emergency Planning and Preparedness. The committee meets to discuss all aspects of the Emergency Management Program and the input provided helps to guide the Coordinator. The membership on the committee is comprised of:

The Committee is also responsible for the annual revision and enhancement of the Counties' Emergency Response Plan.

Emergency Response Plan

On August 24, 2006, Counties' Council adopted the updated Emergency Response Plan by By-Law 06-42. The plan was developed by the Emergency Management Program Committee and is reviewed annually to ensure that it remains current and contains appropriate measures to address risks within the community as they are identified. The public version of the plan is published on this website.

Community & Social Services Emergency Response Role

The Community & Social Services Division of the United Counties of Leeds & Grenville has the mandate to meet the basic needs of residents of member and separated municipalities within Leeds & Grenville in the event of a peacetime emergency. This authority has been accorded to Community & Social Services under By-Law 99-49. The plan has been developed in concert with community partners, all of whom play an essential role in the provision of these services.

In the event of a peacetime emergency, Community & Social Services may be requested by a municipality to provide the following services to evacuees and/or volunteers:

• emergency feeding
• emergency clothing
• emergency lodging
• emergency registration & inquiry
• emergency psycho-social services

Pre-designed evacuation centres exist across Leeds - Grenville. These locations have been selected for their accessibility, ability to house large numbers of evacuees, and they meet applicable health & safety regulations. In the event of an emergency, Community & Social Services staff, along with members of a number of partner agencies, staff and operate the evacuation centres.

Training

The Basic Emergency Management Program (B.E.M.) serves as the pre-requisite for all further or additional courses through Emergency Management Ontario or the Federal Emergency Preparedness College. It is a total of 3 days in length and is accredited through Emergency Management Ontario. The CEMC is trained to deliver the program. This course may be offered by member and separated municipalities within the United Counties as well. If you would like to learn more about this training, please contact Kevin Spencer at (613) 342-3840 ext#2388 or by email kevin.spencer@uclg.on.ca

Next year, the Counties will host a Senior and Elected Officials Course. The course provides an opportunity for Council members and senior managers to learn about the requirements of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and the Counties' Emergency Management Program.

Public Education and Awareness Program

The United Counties and the Emergency Management Program Committee are committed to promoting and encouraging public education and awareness of emergency planning. Our primary focus is encouraging individuals and their respective families to take actions to ensure personal emergency preparedness.

The public education and awareness program aims at providing information to our citizens about some of the hazards which exist in our communities. The objective is to ensure that residents and visitors are well-informed and as prepared as possible to cope with an emergency. In particular, the program stresses the importance of every individual being self-sufficient for up to 72 hours following an emergency. Recent events world-wide have demonstrated that in the event of a large-scale emergency or disaster, it can take up to 72 hours for coordinated emergency response to occur.

The booklet, Be Prepared- The United Counties of Leeds and Greenville's Emergency Preparedness Information (Microsoft Word format) provides useful information on how to prepare.

You may also follow the links to Emergency Management Ontario and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada for additional public information and pamphlets.

Emergency Preparedness Week

Emergency Preparedness Week is observed across Canada and is an annual event designed to build public awareness of various risks and how to plan and be prepared for any type of emergency. The first full week of May is designated as Emergency Preparedness Week. All provinces and territories participate. Governments, first responders (police officers, firefighters, paramedics, etc.), emergency management officers, private industry, universities and non-governmental organizations all plan activities for EP Week.

Emergency Preparedness Week is a good time for all individuals to start working on their own emergency plan and emergency kits. As a starting point, It is important to be aware of the kinds of hazards which may exist in your community. A variety of self-help publications are available from Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada at:

http://www.getprepared.ca/pubs/pubs_e.asp

or may be picked up at the Counties' Administration Building in Brockville. Please contact Kevin Spencer at (613) 342-3840 ex. #2388 or by email kevin.spencer@uclg.on.ca

For more information on how to formulate your personal emergency preparedness plan, go to:

http://www.emergencypreparednessweek.ca

Emergency Exercises

The United Counties of Leeds & Grenville recognizes the importance of conducting regular emergency exercises and is committed to supporting our member and separated municipalities and partner agencies by participating in their exercises. In addition, every year, members of the Counties' Control Group participate in an exercise specially designed to assess and practice our emergency response role.