Extended Overview of ESS (23 slides) - Emergency Social Services

Overview of ESSWhat does ESS Do?ESS is an integral part of Emergency Management in BC by:• Helping people to remain independent and selfsufficient• Helping people to meet their basic needs during adisaster• Reuniting families separated by disaster• Providing people with accurate and up-to-dateinformation about the situation at hand• Helping people to re-establish themselves as quickly aspossible after a disasterEmergency Social ServicesSlide 4

Overview of ESSWhat services are provided?ESS provides primary services such as:• food• lodging• clothing• family reunification (registration & inquiry)ESS may also provide specialized services such as:• emotional support• first aid• child care• pet care• public information• radio communicationsEmergency Social ServicesSlide 5

Overview of ESSWho provides ESS?• ESS volunteers and staff– over 5,000 local volunteers and staff across BC– ESS Support Organizations– Provincial Emergency Program regional and provincial staff• Every local authority in BC should have an ESS team• The local ESS leader is the ESS Director• The ESS Director reports to Emergency Program CoordinatorEmergency Social ServicesSlide 6

Overview of ESSLocal Authority LevelEmergency Social ServicesSlide 7

Overview of ESSWho receives ESS ?• Citizens of British Columbia who have beendisplaced from their residence by a disaster oremergency• Response workers on assignmentduring a disaster or emergency• Travellers stranded as a result of adisasterEmergency Social ServicesSlide 8

Overview of ESSWhen is ESS provided?• ESS may be provided for incidents ranging from a singlefamily house fire to calamities involving mass evacuation• Examples ofevents in BC involving ESS include:• floods• urban fires• earthquakes• oil spills• blizzards• severe weather• landslides and avalanches• wildland urban interface firesEmergency Social ServicesSlide 9

Overview of ESSHow long is ESS provided for?• ESS is typically available for 72 hours immediatelyfollowing the start of an event• During these first 72 hours, evacuees should immediatelyplan their next steps by contacting:– insurance agents (if relevant)– family and friends– local non-profit agencies• ESS may be extended, in exceptional circumstances, on acase-by-case basisEmergency Social ServicesSlide 10

Overview of ESSHow is ESS provided?• ESS teams assist evacuees at Reception Centres• ESS teams may also provide:– outreach services for shut-ins– Group Lodging (shelter and food) to evacueesduring a major event– on-site services to response workers and others• Level 1 ESS volunteers provide on-site services forsmall scale incidents (1-2 residences)Emergency Social ServicesSlide 11

Overview of ESSWhat do ESS teams do to prepare?• Identify facilities suitable for use as Reception Centresand for Group Lodging.• Recruit and train volunteers• Establish linkages with key local emergency respondersand any disaster related non-government organizations• Reach agreements with local businesses and servicesorganizationsEmergency Social ServicesSlide 12

Roles and ResponsibilitiesWho supports ESS teams?• Local authority• PEP Regional Staff• Provincial Emergency Program (PEP)• ESS Office• ESS Support OrganizationsEmergency Social ServicesSlide 13

Roles and ResponsibilitiesMunicipal vs. ProvincialThrough the Emergency Program Act (1996):• Local Authorities are responsible for emergencyplanning and response, including ESS• The Provincial Government is responsible for supportinglocal authorities in this responsibility.Emergency Social ServicesSlide 14

Roles and ResponsibilitiesWhat is the role of Local Authorities?The local authority is responsible for:• Planning and coordination of a local ESS response• Specifically,– “A local authority must, as part of the local emergencyplan prepared by it under section 6 (2) of the Act.Section 2 (3) (f) of the Local AuthorityEmergency Management Regulation (1995)– “Coordinate the provision of food, clothing, shelter,transportation and medical services to victims ofemergencies and disasters, whether that provision is madefrom within or outside of the local authority.”Emergency Social ServicesSlide 15

Roles and ResponsibilitiesWhat is the role of PEP?The Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) isresponsible for:• Leadership and overall coordination of BC’s emergencymanagement system• Providing a task number and expenditures authority in anemergency (1-800-663-3456)• Provides public information about on-going disasters,emergency preparedness and preventive measures• Providing WCB and liability coverage for ESS volunteersEmergency Social ServicesSlide 16

Roles and ResponsibilitiesWhat is the role of the ESS Office?The Provincial Emergency Program’s ESS Office provides provincial levelsupport for local authorities who are responsible for planning, and respondingto, emergencies and disaster where short-term emergency social services arerequired.The ESS Office works alongside other provincial ministries and nongovernmentorganizations, to coordinate provincial level resources in supportof the delivery of ESS across British Columbia by local authorities.PEP Headquarters and the ESS Office support local authorities by:• Funding the ESS training program;• Developing provincial policies and procedures;…continued on next slideEmergency Social ServicesSlide 17

Roles and ResponsibilitiesWhat is the role of the ESS Office?Continued:• Providing a framework, including guidelines, standards and bestpractices, for use by local authorities and the ESS training program;• Develop and maintain relationships with ESS Support Organizations;• The processing of invoices for lodging, food, clothing and othernecessary expenses administered by community ESS teams during anemergency;• Providing provincial support during a major disaster; and• Negotiating federal and provincial ESS mutual aid in the event of acatastrophic disaster.Emergency Social ServicesSlide 18

Roles and ResponsibilitiesWhat is the role of Support Organizations?The ESS Office can also arrange additional volunteer support andservices from the following ESS Support Organizations:•BC Housing - warehousing and distribution ofcots and blankets for Group Lodging•Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu ChiFoundation Canada - mass feeding operations•Canadian Red Cross - Family ReunificationServices, operation of the Central Registration &Inquiry Bureau (CRIB)•ESS Association - community volunteersupport•Justice Institute of BC – ESS volunteertraining courses•The Salvation Army - emotionalsupport and meet & greet services•Canadian Disaster Child Care – careand assistance of children affected by disasterEmergency Social ServicesSlide 19

Key ESS FactsHistorical ResponsesYearNumber ofPersons Assisted2007 4,1002006 6,8582005 5,0632004 2,5632003 40,0352002 3,6182001 2,4342000 1,582Emergency Social ServicesSlide 20

Key ESS FactsESS Responses in BC 1994 - 2007Total Persons Assisted: 93,874– forest fire related 53,810– other (e.g. house fires, apartment fires,power outage, landslides,gas leaks, blizzards, etc) 40,064Total number of incidents involving ESS: 3,833– forest fire related 43– other (e.g. house fires, apartment fires, 3,790power outages, floods, landslidesgas leaks, blizzards, etc)Emergency Social ServicesSlide 21

ConclusionThe success of ESS depends on the ongoing commitmentof volunteers and other key stakeholders, and on thesupport of local, regional and provincial governments.Emergency Social ServicesSlide 22

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