Provincial emergency exercise program

Exercise Coastal Response was a full scale provincial and national exercise held from February 7 to 9, 2023. It was co-led by the province and Public Safety Canada and took place primarily in Victoria and the Lower Mainland. It also involved participation of national-level emergency operations centres and provincial emergency operations centres outside of the simulated affected area.

Read the Joint Federal/Provincial After Action Report (PDF, 1.2MB).

What was the scenario?

On February 3, 2023, a simulated 6.8 magnitude earthquake occurred approximately 12 kilometers northwest of Tsawwassen, B.C. with no tsunami. Serious damage was reported in Greater Vancouver and strong aftershocks were felt. The event caused widespread damage to critical infrastructure, and older buildings and structures. Casualties were significant with many killed and injured. Thousands of people were also displaced from their homes. The exercise commenced on February 7 (+96 hours from the first quake) in order to allow for a period of self-recovery to occur, allowing emergency operations centres to be operational and to be able to concentrate on consequence management tasks with a coordinated provincial and federal response.

What was the purpose of this exercise?

The purpose of the exercise was to practice prioritization strategy, coordination, and communication through an integrated whole of government response to a catastrophic B.C. earthquake event.

There were 6 overarching exercise objectives which were also closely aligned with federal objectives:

1. Continuity of government / business continuity: Identify, develop, and test government/business continuity and succession planning at all levels
2. Critical infrastructure / damage assessment: Practice prioritization for the restoration of critical infrastructure
3. Logistics: Practice and validate evolving provincial logistics concept of support, to operationalize Section 8 of the Provincial Earthquake Immediate Response Strategy (PEIRS)
4. Strategic decision making: Practice decision-making, communication, and coordination for complex issues requiring immediate action to reduce disaster risk
5. Strategic communications: Conduct joint communications and engagement, with a focus on consistency of public information
6. Mass care: Develop / practice mass care response concepts

The exercise involved the participation of emergency operations centres (EOCs) represented by– municipal, regional, provincial, First Nations, federal government, select private sector, and non-governmental organizations. Each EOC activated and staffed their respective operations to manage disaster response structures within their respective jurisdictions while simultaneously coordinating with other EOCs and departments/agencies to meet exercise objectives.

On October 25 and 26, 2017, Exercise Salish Sea took place in the waters off Saltspring Island, British Columbia‎.

What was the scenario?

The scenario for the October 25th exercise found a fire on board the BC Ferry M/V Coastal Renaissance – it was of such severity that an evacuation of all passengers was required.  The Search and Rescue phase of the exercise involved 97 live actors who evacuated from the ferry via the evacuation slide system; they were then transported ashore by marine resources and triaged ashore by Emergency Health Services.  An additional 57 live actors on the island were given makeup to simulate the injuries they may have suffered, adding realism for those ashore providing initial medical care. 

On October 26 the simulation continued, with CCGS Bartlett playing the part of the ferry casualty, with on-water training and boom deployment, and the activation of an Incident Command Post with almost 100 participants from multiple federal, provincial and non-government agencies, as well as BC Ferries and other industry representatives performing key roles.  This second phase is what made this exercise unique, in that this was the first time that an exercise tested not only the search and rescue phase of the response to such an event, but also the environmental response phase, while engaging public and private industry reps under one Unified Command. 

What was the purpose of this exercise?

The objective of the largest ever exercise in the Canadian Pacific was twofold:  to validate and modernize the Pacific Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Major Marine Disaster plan; and to demonstrate the Maritime Safety and Environmental response system to First Nations and local governments as an introduction to many of the initiatives and potential partnerships that will emerge from the Ocean Protection Plan (OPP). The 2-day event ‎tested and promoted interoperability between the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Department of National Defence, the Province of British Columbia and many local B.C. communities. The close relationships built during the planning the exercise resulted in an exercise that enhanced the effectiveness of a whole of government response to a major maritime disaster.  

Exercise Coastal Response was held on June 7-10, 2016, in the Port Alberni region. Read the Initial Findings from Exercise Coastal Response report (PDF) for more information.

What was the scenario?

It was B.C.'s first ever full-scale earthquake and tsunami response exercise. Exercise Coastal Response 2016 was based on a magnitude 9.0 earthquake resulting from a rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coast of southwestern B.C. In this exercise scenario, strong shaking lasting several minutes would occur in areas of Greater Vancouver, Greater Victoria and central Vancouver Island, causing some destruction in the major urban centres and widespread damage in the Port Alberni valley. The earthquake would also generate a tsunami on the west coast of Vancouver Island minutes after the initial shock.

What was the purpose of this exercise?

A strong and effective provincial response to a catastrophic earthquake hinges on B.C.’s ability to coordinate with internal and external agencies at all levels. The purpose of Exercise Coastal Response 2016 was for Emergency Management BC to bring together some key stakeholder groups – multiple levels of government, various jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S., and a number of provincial ministries, First Nations, Crown corporations and first responders – in a coordinated and integrated way to activate the B.C. Earthquake Immediate Response Plan (PDF). The goal was to exercise elements of this plan and strengthen relationships among and across partners and stakeholders to enhance operational coordination.