Emergency Management Organizations Portal

Emergency Management

Emergency management in the Northwest Territories mirrors the structure of other federal, provincial, territorial, and most international jurisdictions. It outlines the authority and roles and responsibilities of partners that are foundational to emergency management.

Contents

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Comprehensive Emergency Management 

Comprehensive Emergency Management (CEM) refers to the four phases of emergency management:

  • Mitigation and Prevention
  • Planning and Preparedness
  • Response
  • Recovery

The CEM structure is outlined in the NWT Emergency Plan. It includes the four phases of emergency management that are based on federal and international best practices. It is a continuous cycle of emergency management, where every stage informs another, and incorporates improvements throughout iterations of emergency events. The structure can be adapted in ways to suit each individual community.

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Authority

The authority for emergency management at the local level falls to community governments. The NWT Emergency Management Act is similar to legislation in other Canadian jurisdictions and requires community governments to have a Local EMO, a coordinator, and a Community Emergency Plan that is updated and practiced annually. Emergencies are managed at the local level and assistance can be requested from the next level depending on the resources and support needed. The Regional and Territorial EMO levels within GNWT are staffed to support community governments. For more information see Emergency Management in the NWT.

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EMO Structure

The emergency management system in the NWT relies on residents to fulfill their personal responsibilities for emergency preparedness. Residents should be encouraged to have individual and household emergency plans, emergency kits and to take appropriate measures to protect themselves and their properties against known hazards.

Emergency management is a shared responsibility. The levels of responsibility are shown in the image below. Emergencies are typically handled at the local level. If Local EMO capacity is exceeded and assistance is requested, the Regional EMO may assist. If Regional EMO capacity is exceeded and assistance is requested, the Territorial EMO may assist. The Territorial EMO may request assistance from the federal government once all capacity has been exhausted.

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Roles and Responsibilities

Local EMO

The Emergency Management Act requires community governments to have a Local EMO. A Local EMO might consist of the following:

  • Community government representatives (eg: SAO, fire chief, public works foreperson, etc.)

  • Relevant outside agencies at the local level (eg: volunteer groups, Indigenous governments or organizations, non-government organizations, RCMP, healthcare representative, private businesses, etc.)

Under the Emergency Management Act the Local EMO is required to plan for local emergencies and provide an updated Community Emergency Plan to the Head of the Emergency Management Organization at the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) on an annual basis through the MACA regional office. The Local EMO is required to implement community emergency management programs throughout all the phases of emergency management. This may include:

Mitigation and Prevention
  • Investigating mitigation options for top hazards identified in the Community Emergency Plan
  • Preparing for, and mitigating against, known hazards (eg: investigating insurance, relocating hazardous materials and equipment outside of hazard zone)
  • Recommending Council implement zoning bylaws and/or building code requirements in line with hazard-risk mapping where appropriate
Preparedness
  • Developing and updating the Community Emergency Plan annually as required by the Emergency Management Act
  • Practicing and making improvements to the Community Emergency Plan via tabletop or live exercise
  • Issuing public awareness and communications materials to residents ahead of high-risk periods
  • Monitoring current or imminent risk conditions
Response
  • Notifying MACA (via the MACA Regional Superintendent or emergency line) of an emergency event or imminent emergency event
  • Determining and conducting appropriate responses in line with the Community Emergency Plan
  • Notifying the public of the emergency and keeping them informed throughout an emergency
  • Requesting support from the GNWT or other partners
  • Ongoing communication with other government officials as required
Recovery
  • Assessment of safety and essential services prior to allowing access to the disaster zone
  • Keeping the public notified throughout evacuation period and notifying once it is safe to return home
  • Ongoing communication with community and territorial government officials as required

Regional/Territorial EMO

The Regional and Territorial EMO membership mirrors that of Local EMOs. These Regional and Territorial EMOs also include full-time staff MACA staff. Regional and Territorial EMO membership includes:

  • EMO Staff from MACA (One Regional EMO coordinator in each of MACA’s five regions and Territorial EMO staff at MACA headquarters in Yellowknife)
  • Applicable GNWT representatives at regional and territorial levels (eg: Other GNWT departments and agencies)
  • Relevant outside agencies within the Northwest Territories (eg: Private business and non-government organizations, RCMP, Joint Task Force North)
  • Relevant outside agencies from outside the NWT jurisdiction (eg: Public Safety Canada)

The Regional and Territorial EMOs support community governments in improving emergency management capacity through various tools, including:

  • Community emergency planning workshops and tabletop exercises to assist in developing, updating or validating the community government’s emergency plan
  • A Community Emergency Plan template, which is a self-directed community emergency plan development and update tool to assist community governments in developing or updating their emergency plans annually
  • A Community Emergency Management video series to educate community emergency management officials on basic emergency management and the emergency management system in the Northwest Territories

Additionally, during an emergency event, the Regional and Territorial EMOs provide support where capacity has been exceeded and assistance is requested. Examples of support throughout past emergencies includes coordinating delivery of cots, blankets and other equipment; coordination of evacuation flights; and, supports for evacuation centres.

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State of Local Emergency

Community governments may find themselves curious about how and when to declare a State of Local Emergency (SOLE). These declarations are made by the local Council and are used to give the Local EMO special powers to enable them to respond to an emergency event. Special powers may include causing an evacuation or using property that does not belong to them, which must be compensated. It is important to note, a community government does NOT have to make a declaration in order to request assistance from the Regional EMO and making a declaration does NOT give the community government access to extra funding.

A template for Declaration of a State of Local Emergency can be found in Appendix G of the Community Emergency Plan Template.

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Community Requests for GNWT Assistance

In most cases, community governments can handle emergencies without GNWT support. Individuals may be able to manage using their own household emergency plan with the support of family, friends, local organizations, and the community government.

In the event the Local EMO capacity has been exhausted, an initial request for assistance can be issued to the Regional EMO lead by phone (or by contacting the duty phone if after-hours at 867-930-2303). The initial request must be followed by a formal Community Government Request for GNWT Emergency Management Assistance by filling out the form and submitting by email.

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EMO Resources

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