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The City of Pickering has established a formal Community Emergency Management Program to deal with major emergencies or crises. The Program applies to a range of community events that could affect a significant part of the city and its population. It is designed to effectively manage resources that are used to handle events like ice storms, tornados, floods, acts of terrorism, large fires, hazardous materials incidents, etc. The Program also covers nuclear emergencies, during which the City would assist the Province of Ontario and the Region of Durham in providing public safety services. To deal with community emergency situations, City staff members from key areas have been organized into a Municipal Control Group. In the event of a community emergency, the Municipal Control Group is dispatched to the City’s Municipal Emergency Operations Centre in Claremont, where the emergency situation is strategically managed to assist the on-scene emergency responders who operate under the Emergency Management Model. To ensure all members of the City’s Municipal Control Group are fully trained and able to deal with emergency situations, the City has established community emergency plans and procedures and provides emergency training exercises on a regular basis. To assist members of the community with their own emergency preparedness efforts, the Program includes a public education component. Additional emergency management information can be obtained from the Durham Emergency Measures Office, Emergency Management Ontario, Ontario Power Generation, and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.
The Municipal Control Group (MCG) consists of approximately 50 City staff members and representatives of other supporting organizations, including Durham Region Police Services and Ajax/Pickering Transit Authority. The MCG is supervised by the Chief Administrative Officer who performs the role of the Operations Officer. The MCG is organized into five teams, each with specific roles and responsibilities. Every team and team member has an emergency "job description" to ensure that there is no overlap of responsibilities and that the MCG works efficiently in the MOC. The five teams are:
Municipal Emergency Operations Centre In 1997, the City established a Municipal Emergency Operations Centre (MEOC) in the newly constructed Claremont Community Centre. The MEOC was located in Claremont in order to be outside of a 10 kilometer radius from the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, as required by the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Plan. The MEOC provides a "permanent-ready" facility to strategically manage emergencies in the City of Pickering. It is fully furnished with the necessary plans, maps and communication equipment for use during an emergency. In the event of an emergency, trained City staff are dispatched to the MEOC to deal with the situation.
MEOC panorama (QuickTime movie) Visit the Apple website to download the free viewer software
On-scene emergency response agencies are organized under the Emergency Site Management process during community emergencies. Senior representatives from the emergency response agencies (ambulance, fire, police, etc.) form the Emergency Site Management Team to provide the operational functions of incident management while under the strategic direction of the Municipal Control Group in the MEOC.
Emergencies in Durham region are grouped into three emergency classifications and a set of unique categories under each.
Community Emergency Plans and Procedures The City of Pickering in conjunction with the Province of Ontario, the Region of Durham, the two school boards, other local municipalities, and Ontario Power Generation have prepared various emergency plans and procedures for use during an emergency. The following is a partial list of City documents that complement numerous other outside agency plans and procedures:
If a nuclear emergency were declared, the public may receive notification and specific information via special radio or television broadcasts from various broadcasters that serve the Durham area, and an automated telephone calling service. The City of Pickering's website may also contain information about the emergency and what to do. Information may include the need to evacuate to reception centres or instructions to stay indoors (referred to as sheltering). The Bell Canada Durham Telephone Directory contains a Red Page on the last page of the publication that provides some quick reference information about nuclear emergencies. Additional nuclear emergency information can be obtained from the Province of Ontario and the Region of Durham. Please note that the Nuclear Emergency Information brochure that was previously distributed is no longer current and should be destroyed.
City Staff and their emergency partners regularly undertake formal emergency education and training through attendance at seminars and participation in emergency exercises. In 1995 and 1999, City staff participated directly in two provincial nuclear training exercises. In 2000, staff attended a provincial nuclear exercise held at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station to review and evaluate the effectiveness of that exercise. In April 2001, a simulated hazardous material exercise was conducted for the City’s emergency staff. That exercise tested the City’s emergency plans and procedures and provided valuable training for City staff. Emergency partners from the Region of Durham, Town of Ajax, City of Oshawa, and the Municipality of Clarington also participated in the exercise, as did industry representatives from Dupont Canada. In October of 2003, Pickering hosted another provincial nuclear training exercise that tested the City, Region, and Provincial Nuclear Emergency Plans and Procedures.
The public is encouraged to play an active role in preparing for major emergencies to augment the services that City officials provide. The following publications regarding Family and Community Preparedness may be obtained through the Safe Guard link:
The Region of Durham, City of Toronto, and Region of York also provide a set of lists that homeowners can use to develop their own plans. Owners and managers of large and/or high risk facilities are encouraged to follow the emergency planning process that is outlined at the Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal’s Emergency Building Measures website.
During any kind of community emergency, the City of Pickering's website will be updated to provide current information about the ongoing event. Information can also be obtained by telephoning 905.420.4666 during an emergency.
Obtaining Additional Information Additional information can be obtained during normal business hours by contacting Deputy Fire Chief Simon Almond at 905.420.4660 ext. 2180 or 2181, or by email to salmond@city.pickering.on.ca
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