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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWD-44-80 TOWN OF NEWCASTLE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Director's Report to Public Works Committee. Item: WD-44-80. Date: March 27, 1980. Subject: Resolution # W-57-79. Town of Newcastle Emergency Control. Background: Resolution # W-57-79: "THAT it be recommended to Council that an Emergency Operations Control Group be appointed to be headed by the Mayor and supported by Department Heads, to take appropriate action for flood emergencies". Attached is correspondence, received from Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority, detailing the need for the establishment of an Emergency Operations Control Group in the Town of Newcastle. Report: Staff have reviewed the recommendations of C.L.O.C.A. , and all other available data pertinent to various types of emergency situations, and the results are detailed for consideration by this Committee. It would appear that, despite recent events, there is justification for an Emergency Operations Control Group for the Town, to cover all possible contingent situations; it is felt that such a group - - should include representatives of other relevant agencies, as detailed in Item 3 of the attached. i Recommendation: THAT the establishment of an Emergency Operations Control Group be recommended to Council, and that the appropriate By-Law be considered. i l I M E M O R A N D U M To: J. Dunham, Director of Public Works. From: J. Ferguson, C.E.T. , Deputy. Subject: Town of Newcastle Emergency Control Plans. Date: March 19, 1980. Further to-your recent request regarding the subject matter, and it's status in regard to strategic planning for emergencies with- in the Town of Newcastle, I have reviewed all available data and would comment as follows: 1. The Towns of Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa have 'emergency control groups' and have passed by-laws on behalf of the groups enabling them to establish any policies necessary in the event of a disaster in the area. 2. In March, 1979, the Town of Newcastle Public Works Committee passed Resolution # W-57-79 (adopted by Council) recommending that an Emergency Control Group be established for this municipality; the Group was to be headed by the Mayor with a support team com- prised of Department Heads. It would appear that, although an Emergency Control Group was authorized, establishment of same was not accomplished, as would be necessary in order to set objectives and create the co-ordination required for an Emergency Control Group to function promptly and with maximum efficiency. 3. The selection of Town of Newcastle Department Heads only, as members of the Emergency Control Group, would not provide the optimum effectivesness necessary. It is felt that the following agencies should be repre- sented therein: Local Police Forces Health Unit Hydro Electric Commission or Ontario Hydro. 4. It should be noted that no by-law enabling or author- izing the Emergency Control Group to operate, has been enacted by the Town, to this date. i 5. A Group Co-ordinator should be selected and recognized; this person should be one who can assess any situation and plan and co-ordinate the municipal response to any emergency or disaster. The Co-ordinator should have acute knowledge of equipment and manpower availability and should be cognizant of the capabilities and limit- ations of same. 6. The matter of Flood Emergency Control has been drawn into focus by the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority, however, the Town of Newcastle may be unique in that there are other areas of concern which may create hazardous situations within this municipality. It is, therefore, suggested that any Emergency Control Group formally established by the Town of Newcastle, be authorized and able to efficiently cope with any or all of the following: (a) Nuclear Generating Station Evacuation Plan. (b) Nuclear Seepage and Waste. (c) Spills of Oil or similar Materials. (d) Forest Fires. (e) Contingency Plans in case of Fire, specifically in large buildings (Residential, Commercial or Industrial) . (f) Incidents involving Radio-Active Materials. (g) Transportation of Toxic Substances through- out the Municipality. It is felt that a Committee should be established to review this entire situation, with the following goals in mind: i. To form an effective Emergency Control Group, formally endorsed by by-law. ii. To establish policies for the Group. To detail the responsibilities of each member, and duties thereof, in the event of an emergency. iv. To produce an effective, logical set of guidelines to be applied to different categories of emergency and/or disaster. Such guidelines would then be used as terms of reference by the Group Members. �xk� �----~ p~ 0 4 jr-10 ~ CENTRAL LAKE ONTARIO CONSERVATION AUTHORITY 1650DUNDAS STREET EAST, WHITBY,ONTARIO. UN 2K8 (415)57V-V411 REF NO. March /' 1980. ° Mr. J . Dunham, Director of Public Works , Corporation of the Town of Newcastle, Department of Public Works` Municipal Building, Hampton, Ontario, LOB }JO \�' Y rr !,� � -'- , ' � Dear Sir; Subject: --' ' As a follow-up to the meeting held January 29, 1980 in tho C L 0 C A boardroom to discuss flood contingency planning, | wish to ' i '^e 'a'^c` - the `~ recommended stops which you and/or the municipality should k in the near future in order to develop into an implementab\o form, municipal n�'c�' pa\ f>ood ~ .contingency plan. ' First and foremost, a municipality must establish an emergency operations control group, generally headed by the head of Council . The municipal plan should be developed to establish responsibilities and functions of various municipal services such as police, [/ re and public utilities and the sections of the plan dealing with each service should be developed and written by appropriate officials from those specific services. As an important part of the plan, the municipality should appoint a flood co-ordlnator, | e a person such as yourself, who will : ` ' ^ � a, assess a flood yituation` , b) recommend municipal declaration of an emergency; c\ upon declaration of a municipal emergency |mplomunt the flood contingency plan and co-ordinate the municipal response; 6) liaise with the Conservation Authority; e\ determine If municipal resources are adequate and if not recommend the 00nioipw> icy request Regional or Provincial assistance. ' CENTRAL LAKE ONTARIO CONSERVATION AUTHORITY Mr, J. Dunham - 2 - March 7, 1980 Other details of the significant components of a municipal plan are contained within the Ministry of Natural Resources publication entitled, "Planning For Flood Emergencies". This document provides an excellent reference in summary from which to formulate general contingency plan guidelines. Further, in preparing the draft contingency plan for your municipality, we trust that you will refer to the flood warning procedure decision chart prepared by Mr. Steve Woot ten of the Region' s Emergency Measures Division. As discussed at the referenced meeting, while some or perhaps a majority of the items may not be particularly pertinent or relative to your particular municipality' s situation, do believe that it provides an excellent framework from which to discuss and formulate detailed organizational and reactionary procedures . As the writer has discussed with you, the Authority wishes to be of as much assistance as possible in the formulation of the plan for your municipality. In this regard, we would recommend that a further meeting be held prior to finaliza- tion of a draft plan. trust you will recognize the urgency attached to the need to prepare comprehen- sive and implementable emergency plans and hope that you and/or your staff may be able to assign adequate time in the near future to follow through with the task. In the interim, should you require any additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact this office. Yours very truly, Robert W. Messervey, Conservation Services Supervisor. RWM/klt SAKE O 9 c7 >- O �' h ) XX `gT10N PJ CENTRAL LAKE ONTARIO CONSERVATION AUTHORITY 1650 DUNDAS STREET EAST, WHITBY,ONTARIO. UN 2K8 (416)579-0411 REF NO. RWM/k) t January 24 , 1980. m i 23 1980 Mr. J. Dunham, Director of Public Works , Corporation of the Town of Newcastle, Department of Public Works , t Municipal Building, Hampton, Ontario, LOB 1JO Dear Sir: Subject: Flood Contingency Planning This will confirm that there will be a meeting at the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (C. L.O.C.A. ) boardroom on Tuesday, January 29, 1980 at 1 : 30 p.m. regarding flood contingency planning. The purpose of the meeting essentially is to discuss the following: 1 . To review and discuss the role , jurisdiction, End responsibilities of the agencies involved in a flood wtrning or flood emergency situation; 2. To identify the current status of planning for flood emergencies at the regional and area municipal levels, and the integration of such planning; 3. To outline for review and discussion , a proposed framework upon which detailed area municipal planning can be based. In attendance at the meeting will be representatives from area munici - palities , the Regional Municipality of Durham, and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority. Your attendance and input will be appreciated. Yours very truly, r