The current Municipal Emergency Response Plan was approved by the Public Safety Committee on August 4, 2021. The plan is required by the Province of New Brunswick through the Emergency Measures Act. Among the requirements are that each municipality must establish an emergency measures organization and prepare and coordinate emergency measures plans for the community.
The Emergency Response Plan must be reviewed regularly. An updated version of the plan will be presented to Public Safety Committee during Emergency Management Week this year, May 1-7, 2023.
Purpose
The purpose of the Municipal Emergency Response Plan (The Plan) is to outline procedures to be followed by local government to provide a prompt and coordinated response to an emergency, and activities that support emergency preparedness. The Plan addresses incidents that may cause damage of a magnitude warranting activation of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
Authority
Issued by Council, under the authority of the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Act; and The City of Saint John By-Law Number EM-7, A By-Law to Formulate Plans in the Event of An Emergency, also known as the Saint John Emergency Measures By-Law, originally enacted by Common Council on September 12, 2005.
Responsibility for the management of municipal emergency operations rests with the Mayor and Council. Council is the ultimate authority for decision-making during an emergency while delegating operational decisions to the Saint John Emergency Management Organization Director. The EMO (Emergency Management Organization) Director is responsible for coordinating the efficient emergency response operations in the community on behalf of the Mayor and Council. The Director may activate the Emergency Operations Center partially or fully, depending on the magnitude of the emergency.
Guiding Principles
The Plan has been developed from a series of guiding principles. In Canada, municipalities are responsible for the first response to emergencies within their boundaries, supported by the provincial government if the scale of the emergency exceeds municipal capabilities. SJEMO has adopted the following guiding principles to ensure the highest standard of municipal response.
Partnerships
All members of the community have a role to play in emergency management. Emergency preparedness starts at the level of the individual and households and includes private sector businesses; industrial partners; volunteer and non-government organizations and academia. Effective partnerships with the emergency management organization and first response agencies must be based on effective collaboration, coordination, and communication.
Continuous Improvement
SJEMO aspires to be better today than it was yesterday and better tomorrow than it is today. Through a vigorous and systematic after-action review process following any incident, SJEMO aims to learn from any gaps and improve emergency preparedness, emergency response and measurement of success.
SJEMO activation
The Saint John Emergency Management Organization is mobilized when an emerging incident is beyond the scope, capacity and capability of primary response agencies and requires coordination of resources. Be sure you are signed up for notifications through the public alert system.