Victoria Emergency Management Agency. Welcome Back

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1 January 2013 Volume 1, Issue 1 Victoria Emergency Management Agency VEMA News Welcome Back Inside this issue: 2012 Year in Review 2 Team Successes in Looking Ahead Odds & Ends 4 Photo Album 5 Welcome to the VEMA Newsletter! The Newsletter will now be published each January, May and September. The purpose of the VEMA Newsletter is to highlight recent VEMA events as well as to give an update on future activities. If you have any ideas for future editions please share any ideas with your team leader. Best Wishes and Welcome! You will see from this newsletter that there is a great deal happening across the organization. With over 100 volunteers and three staff there are a wide variety of activities that occur each year including: training, meetings, planning, exercises, equipment maintenance, volunteer recruitment, public talks and displays. VEMA Volunteers are busy people! EP Tips Hurricane Sandy VEMA Calendar 7 Special points of interest: VEMA-wide earthquake exercise (p. 2) The Great BC ShakeOut (p. 2) VEMA on Facebook (p. 3) Tsunami Planning (p. 4) New Training & Calendar (p.7) 6 Best Wishes to Sara Walsh Last summer Sara Walsh moved on to other endeavours as she continues her career in emergency management. Sara worked as the Deputy Emergency Coordinator for the City of Victoria for four years. In that time she made a huge impact on the Evacuee Assistance team, as well as in other areas of emergency management in Victoria. Sara was instrumental in increasing the Evacuee Assistance Team's awareness of at-risk populations and how to best meet needs following an evacuation event. Sara made strong linkages with local community-based organizations. Her recent activities have taken her to the United Kingdom where she is working on Master of Science in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development. While there she is also volunteering with a local emergency management team and riding horses in her spare time. We wish Sara all the best in her future adventures! Welcome Alexis Kraig We would like to welcome Alexis Kraig to the Deputy Emergency Coordinator position. Alexis started with VEMA in September. In her short time with the organization she has spent time learning about the teams within VEMA, the City, and the region, as well as the broad range of responsibilities on her work plan. Alexis has past experience working with Emergency Management BC, the BC Wildfire Management Branch and international development work. Welcome to the VEMA Team, Alexis!

2 P a ge 2 V E MA News V olume 1, I s s u e In Review 2012 shaped up to be a busy year in VEMA! Here are a few of the highlights: What is an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC)? The Justice Institute of BC (JIBC) defines an EOC as a designated facility established by an agency o r j u r i s d i c t i o n t o coordinate the overall agency or jurisdictional response and support to an emergency response. Exercise October 20 On October 20th volunteers from VEMA participated in an ambitious multi-agency one day exercise. VEMA had the use of a relatively large building for this exercise, which added a level of realism to the scenario. The exercise scenario saw a damaging earthquake affect Victoria, with a building damaged and people trapped. USAR Victoria was activated to search the building and rescue people from the various spaces. The Canadian Search & Disaster Dogs Association (CASDDA) was called in and participated with four dogs and dog handlers. The Incident Command Post (ICP) vehicle was set up and staffed by members of the Victoria Fire Department, who role played the Incident Commandeer role. The EOC Support team volunteers provided support to the ICP and Auxiliary Communications volunteers provided radio linkages from the ICP to a simulated EOC and to the Reception Centre that was opened. The Evacuee Assistance team was on site and provided support to the displaced evacuees. As well, a Reception Centre was set-up at the VicWest Community Centre. Evacuees were rescued from the building and their health was assessed by members of St. John Ambulance. The injured were treated by St. John Ambulance in their field tents and vehicles and the healthy were transported to the Reception Centre. A make-up artist provided very realistic injury make-up to many of the evacuees. Over a dozen people volunteered to be placed in various areas of the building. The volunteers came from various ESS teams in the region, friends of VEMA and St. John Ambulance volunteers, and members of nongovernment teams. Several observers attended the exercise and provided their support or feedback to the day. In total over 100 people participated in the exercise. The exercise ran for most of the day. It provided an opportunity for the teams to work together to solve the problems that could occur in an earthquake event. Some things went very well, while other actions required closer review in the post-exercise debriefs. All the VEMA teams agreed they would like to do multiagency exercises in the future. Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Exercises There were two EOC exercises in In May the EOC staff, comprised of City of Victoria employees, as well as volunteer support from the Auxiliary Communications team, participated in a full day EOC exercise. Over 80 people participated in two shifts. For many participants this was their first opportunity to work in an EOC. The exercise scenario was an earthquake. In November the EOC staff participated in a second EOC exercise which was designed to build on the skillsets developed in May. This exercise saw some features of the exercise simplified. The EOC staff worked through a prolonged power outage scenario caused by disruptions due to solar activity. The volunteers with the EOC Support team provided a large amount of time to both exercises. They set up the temporary EOC, provided guidance to staff on some of the equipment, and worked behind the scenes to keep the exercise running smoothly. ShakeOut BC For the third time hundreds of thousands of people across British Columbia participated in the Great British Columbia ShakeOut! This annual event saw over 600,000 people participate in this large Drop, Cover, Hold On drill. Participation in the capital region grew, which is indicative of the behind the scenes work that goes into planning this event. VEMA staff, along with staff and volunteers from many organizations, work on the planning team that puts this event together. Mark your calendars! The 2013 Great British Columbia ShakeOut is October 17th! Visit for more information.

3 V E MA News V olume 1, I s s u e 1 P a ge 3 Emergency Events 2012 saw a variety of international, national, and local emergency and disaster events. In many ways things were quieter than the previous two years. However, there have been several reminders close to home of the need to take emergency preparedness seriously saw several earthquakes in BC, including a major earthquake in Haida Gwaii. This M 7.7 earthquake led to a Tsunami Warning for the central coast of BC, as well as a Tsunami Advisory for our region. Thankfully, very little damage was done by either the earthquake or the small tsunami it generated. It did, however, provide us with a great learning opportunity. The use of social media, in particular Twitter and Facebook, saw the average person often better informed than many of the emergency officials in BC as this event unfolded. The Emergency Programs throughout the Region are working together to improve procedures based on lessons learned from the Haida Gwaii event. The Evacuee Assistance team is the one volunteer group within VEMA that responds to real-world emergency events on a regular basis. Most of these are smaller-scale evacuation events (fires, gas leaks, etc.). The team is on call 24/7 and responds to the call to action within 30 minutes. In 2012 the Evacuee Assistance team responded to nine events and assisted 84 evacuees. Response Date # Assisted Gorge Rd. East Feb. 1 2 Pembroke St. Feb. 3 3 Blanshard St. Feb Scott St. Apr. 8 6 Fort St. Apr Quadra St. Nov Quadra St. Dec. 6 1 Team Successes in 2012 Evacuee Assistance: The Evacuee Assistance team continued to develop team members in the wide range of skills needed to work in Level 1 responses and Reception Centres. They continued planning efforts, created a new Meet & Greet guide, revised training for some of the in house training they do, and they worked their way through a senior leadership transition. The team participated in a Reception Centre exercise in April that saw half of the day spent on Reception Centre activities and the other half working with the Canadian Red Cross in a Recovery Centre. Several ESS team members from neighbouring communities also participated in this event. The exercise was an excellent example of the kind of cross-agency team work that is so important in emergency management. USAR Victoria: The USAR team continues to expand its capabilities. New equipment acquisitions continue, including new power tools, a new acoustic listening device for technical search, and new helmets for the team members. The team saw changes in its leadership, including the establishment of team leaders on many small specialty teams. Team development continues, with the result being that the group has a renewed purpose and enthusiasm. USAR Victoria participated in a large three day exercise in July, as well as Exercise October 20 th. Auxiliary Communications (ACS): The ACS team has continued to refine its semi-portable radio boxes and its other equipment. Team members have worked hard at a variety of training activities this past year. The Evacuee Assistance and VEMA-wide exercise last year gave them events to train towards. They also provided support to large public sporting events, such as the 10K run, as a way of practicing their skills. These events also bring them into contact with team members from communications teams across the region. EOC Support: The EOC Support Team has started to see an increase in activity this year saw the group participate in two EOC exercises and the Exercise October 20th. They also worked on the EOC trailer, a trailer that is being outfitted with the materials needed to operate the EOC from an alternate location. Public Education / Preparedness: The VEMA team continued to promote public education and preparedness in There were several opportunities for VEMA staff to speak through the media to the public on the need to be better emergency prepared. In addition, volunteers across VEMA participated in a small number of public displays, including the highly successful Moss Street Paint-in. This event saw the distribution of hundreds of pieces of preparedness material to the public. Did you know you can find VEMA on Facebook? Check out these Pages: VEMA Facebook page: PrepareVictoria USAR Facebook page: USARVictoria

4 P a ge 4 V E MA News V olume 1, I s s u e 1 Looking Ahead to 2013 What do they Mean? Tsunami Notifications Tsunami Warning: This is the highest and most Appreciation Night Each year the VEMA holds an appreciation evening to honour people who have contributed to emergency preparedness in our community. Volunteers from all teams in VEMA are invited, along with a guest, to enjoy an evening of socializing, presentations, and dinner. Every few years we change the venue. The evening will start with a reception from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, followed by a brief set of presentations at 7:00pm and dinner at 7:30pm. Please RSVP to Andrea at or to vema@victoria.ca by February 15 th. serious level of tsunami notification. An inundating wave is possible and full evacuation is suggested. Tsunami Advisory: The second highest level of tsunami alert. Strong currents are likely and people should stay away from the shore. VEMA Wide Training: There are a number of training sessions in the works for all volunteers across VEMA. In 2013 we hope to offer sessions in Critical Incident Stress Management, radio use (how to use the VEMA radios), and first aid. If there are other types of training that you think should be offered this coming year let your team leaders know. This year VEMA will be hosting a small number Emergency Presentation nights where one or more speakers will present on topics of interest to all team members across VEMA. Watch your for more information on these opportunities. Tsunami Watch: The danger level is not known yet and the public should stay alert for more information. Tsunami Information: May be issued based only on preliminary seismic i n f ormation w i t ho u t confirmation of a tsunami wave. Tsunami Cancellation : Issued when a Warning or Watch message has been i s s u e d b u t w h e r e damaging waves have NOT been generated. Tsunami All Clear : This is issued when a tsunami has been generated and the threat of further tsunami is over. Tsunami Approximately a year ago a renewal process of the tsunami mapping for the region was started. A newly revised tsunami map is in the works, with an estimated completion date in late February or early March. This map will show what areas of our region may be at risk from a tsunami caused by the Cascadia Subduction earthquake. Watch for more information on this in the weeks to come. Do you know much about tsunami's? Did you know that the maximum change in water level due to a tsunami created by an earthquake we do not feel is 20cm? No houses or VEMA Odds & Ends ID Cards Do you have a VEMA ID card? Check the expiry on the card you have. If it is going to expire in the next six months let your team leader know and the process to replace it can begin. Similarly, if you do not have a VEMA ID card let your team leader know. Task Registration Sheets Do not forget to sign-in to all activities you do with VEMA. These sheets allow us to keep track of your attendance, hours volunteered, and training taken. buildings are at risk from this type of event. Did you also know that if you feel an earthquake that lasts a minute or more, or is so strong that it would be difficult to stand, you should take that as your warning and move away from the shore and seek higher ground if you are near the ocean. Vancouver Island Emergency Preparedness (VIEP) Conference The VIEP is rapidly approaching. Check out the website, which includes the program of events and speakers, here:

5 V E MA News V olume 1, I s s u e 1 P a ge 5 Photo Album Evacuees cared for by the Evacuee Assistance Team Volunteers receive a good meal from the Salvation Army The USAR team performs a daring rescue during the Oct. 20 exercise SAR dog to the rescue! The ACS team ensuring rapid communication. The staff in the mobile ICP busy coordinating the response. Getting instructions from the exercise designers

6 Victoria Emergency Management Agency 1234 Yates Street Victoria, BC V8V 3M8 Phone: (250) Fax: (250) PrepareVictoria.ca Check out our website for more information on VEMA projects, volunteer opportunities and preparedness information. Victoria has a one in three (32%) probability of a damaging earthquake in the next 50 years, and in addition to risk of earthquakes, is also prone to hazards including tsunamis, weather events and pandemics. The Victoria Emergency Management Agency (VEMA) is the City of Victoria's resource for helping our community prepare for an emergency. Responsible for coordinating an emergency response in the event of a disaster, VEMA also educates and empowers Victoria citizens on how to be "emergency prepared." This is accomplished through emergency preparedness training events, exercises, and public education. EP Tips from Hurricane Sandy 1. The excitement and coolness wears off around day You are never really prepared to go weeks without power, heat, water etc. Never! 3. Yes it can happen to you. 4. Just because your generator runs like a top, does not mean its producing electricity. 5. If you do not have water stored up you are in trouble. A couple of cases of bottled water is NOT water storage. 7. Although neighbors can be a great resource, they can also be a huge drain on your emergency storage. 8. If you are not working, chances are nobody else is either. 9. Cash is king (all the money in your savings means nothing) 10. Stored water can taste nasty. 11. You eat a lot more food when you are cold 13. Kids do not like washing their face in cold water. 14. In an emergency Men stock up on food, Women stock up on toilet paper. 15. All the food storage in the world means nothing if your kids won t eat it. 16. You might be prepared to take care of your children and their needs, but what about when the neighborhood children start to show up at your door? Did you know that several of your team members are also volunteers with the VIEP Conference? They volunteer alongside volunteers from many other communities on the south Island to bring us this exciting and well done conference! 6. Someone in your family must play or learn to play guitar. 12. You need more food than you think if your kids are out of school for 2 weeks 17. Some people shut down in an emergency. There is nothing that you can do about that.

7 Victoria Emergency Management Agency 2013 Training & Events Schedule Last update: January 15, 2013 Date Time Course/Event Location Training/ Jan 8 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local Local/ Regional Jan 12 9am ESS Reception Centre Oak Bay Windsor Pavilion Training Regional Jan 16 7pm - 9pm Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Centre Jan 21 1pm-3pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop City Hall Public Local Jan 22 7pm-9pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop Oaklands Community Cen- Public Local Local Jan 26 9am ESS Registration & Referrals Sidney Training Regional Jan 26 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Jan 27 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Jan pm Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local Feb 2 9am 4pm ESS Managing Walk-in Volunteers Esquimalt Training Regional Feb 12 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local Feb 20 7pm - 9pm Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Centre Local Feb.22 TBA VEMA Appreciation Evening Feb 23 9am ESS Group Lodging Langford Training Regional Feb 23 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Feb 24 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Feb pm 830pm Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local Feb 27 1pm-3pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop City Hall Public Local Feb 27 7pm-9pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop James Bay New Horizons Public Local Mar 2 9am to ESS Site Management Contact VEMA office Training Regional Mar 9 All day ESS Reception Centre Metchosin Training Regional Mar 12 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local Mar 16 9am ESS Registration & Referrals Sooke Training Regional

8 Date Time Course/Event Location Training/ Local/ Regional Mar 20 7pm - Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Cen- Local Mar 23 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Mar 24 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Mar 25 7pm-9pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop Vic West Community Centre Public Local Mar 26 1pm-3pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop City Hall Public Local Mar pm Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local April 9 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local April 17 7pm - Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Cen- Local April eve. 20/21 - Vancouver Island Emergency Preparedness Conference Saanich Fair Grounds Conference Regional April 24 1pm-3pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop City Hall Public Local April 25 1pm-3pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop Fairfield/Gonzales Commu- Public Local April 27 All day USAR training Varies Training Local April 28 All day USAR training Varies Training Local April pm Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local May 5-11 Emergency Preparedness Week May 9 1pm-3pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop City Hall Public Local May 11 2pm-4pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop Greater Victoria Public Library; Central Branch Room; 735 Broughton Street May 14 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local May 15 7pm Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Cen- Local Public Local May 20 morning Victoria Day Parade Douglas Street Parade Local May 25 All day USAR training Varies Training Local May 26 All day USAR training Varies Training Local May pm Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local

9 Date Time Course/Event Location Training/ Local/ Regional May 29 7pm-9pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop City Hall Public Local June 11 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local June 19 7pm 9pm Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Centre June 22 All day USAR training Varies Training Local June 23 All day USAR training Varies Training Local June pm 830pm Local Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local July 9 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local July 17 7pm 9pm Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Centre July 27 All day USAR training Varies Training Local July 28 All day USAR training Varies Training Local July pm 830pm Local Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local Aug 21 6pm - VEMA-wide BBQ Oaklands Community Cen- BBQ Local Sept 9 1pm-3pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop City Hall Public Local Sept 10 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local Sept 12 7pm-9pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop James Bay New Horizons Public Local Sept 18 7pm Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Cen- Local Sept pm Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local Sept 28 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Sept 29 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Oct 8 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local Oct 16 7pm Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Cen- Local Oct 26 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Oct 27 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Oct 29 1pm-3pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop City Hall Public Local

10 Date Time Course/Event Location Training/ Local/ Regional Oct pm Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local Oct 30 7pm-9pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop Oaklands Community Cen- Public Local Nov 12 Evening USAR evening training Varies Training Local Nov 14 7pm-9pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop Fairfield/Gonzales Commu- Public Local Nov 18 1pm-3pm Emergency Preparedness Workshop City Hall Public Local Nov 20 7pm Evacuee Assistance monthly meeting Oaklands Community Cen- Local Nov 23 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Nov 24 All day USAR training Varies Training Local Nov pm Evacuee Assistance Planning Group Fire Hall #1 Local Dec. 18 7pm VEMA-wide pot-luck social evening Oaklands Community Cen- Social Evening Local To register for courses contact the VEMA office at: or Acronyms/Initials Used in this Calendar ACS EA EMBC EOC EPW ESS ESSD NEPP PEP TBA USAR VEMA Auxiliary Communications Service Evacuee Assistance Emergency Management BC Emergency Operations Centre Emergency Preparedness Workshop Emergency Social Services Emergency Social Services Director Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Program Provincial Emergency Program; now called Emergency Management BC To be announced Urban Search and Rescue Victoria Emergency Management Agency

11 Addresses Commonly Used for Training and s Burnside-Gorge Community Centre 471 Cecelia Rd. Emergency Management BC 2261 Keating Cross Road Esquimalt Emergency Program 1149A Esquimalt Rd. (in Archie Browning, near McDonalds) Esquimalt Municipal Hall 1229 Esquimalt Rd. Fairfield Activity Centre (formerly New Horizons) Cook St. Fairfield Community Place Garry Oak Room At Sir James Douglas School at Moss and Thurlow. Entry is on Thurlow. James Bay Community Project 547 Michigan St. James Bay Community School 140 Oswego St. James Bay New Horizons 234 Menzies St. Langford Firehall No Peatt Road North Saanich Wain Rd. Fire Hall 986 Wain Rd. Oakland s Community Centre Belmont (at Belmont and Ryan) Sidney Firehall # rd St., Sidney Victoria Emergency Management Agency 1234 Yates St. use Camosun St. entry after 4:30PM Victoria EOC 850 Caledonia (Police Dept) Victoria Firehall # Yates St. VicWest Community Centre 521 Craigflower Road Windsor Pavillion (Oak Bay) 2451Windsor Road (Oak Bay) vema@victoria.ca Phone : Web : PrepareVictoria.ca