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Create and maintain an emergency program

Last updated on April 23, 2024

This page supports communities who are creating or updating their emergency management plans. An all-hazard emergency management plan describes how people, property, and the environment will be protected in an emergency. It provides an outline of actions that are taken when an emergency occurs.

On this page

Planning tools and guides

Emergency management plans must be based on a local authority’s risk assessments, the results of conversations with Indigenous governing bodies and neighbouring local authorities.

Guide and templates

The planning guide provides an adaptable, step-by-step resource for developing an emergency management plan. It addresses hazards, and assigns roles and responsibilities for emergency planning and operations.

Templates allow communities of any size, to adapt the planning process to suit unique emergency management needs and capacities.

Assessments

These tools assess your current capacity, structures, and identify hazards and risks to help reduce the potential consequences of an emergency.

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Drought and water scarcity planning

These resources help First Nations and local authorities plan for water scarcity and the placemat provides an at-a-glance, comprehensive overview of resources, actions, and more. The template is a Word document so that it can be edited for your purposes.

 

Major event planning

These guidelines are designed to provide relevant information and considerations to local authorities, communities, event organizers, emergency managers, provincial representatives, and any other groups involved in planning special events.

 

Emergency program bylaws

Local authorities (such as municipalities) must pass a bylaw to authorize the development of an emergency program. Regional district governments must pass an additional bylaw to extend the service throughout all electoral areas of the regional district.

Bylaws should:

  • Specify the operations of the emergency program
  • Delegate authority to an executive committee
  • Outline the responsibilities of the local authority

Bylaws should be reviewed following each local government election to ensure the provisions of bylaws are up to date. Newly elected officials must be made aware of their responsibilities to support the emergency program.

Questions?

While this process is designed to be self-guided, please contact a regional office if you have any questions about emergency planning.