INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN THE PRIVATE & PUBLIC SECTORS 3 FACTORS TO IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE Toronto Police Emergency Management Symposium November 25-27,

INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN THE PRIVATE & PUBLIC SECTORS 3 FACTORS TO IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Toronto Police Emergency Management Symposium November 25-27, 2009

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

1. Commercial Property Management (the “backdrop”)

2. Emergency Planning Gaps

3. Case Study & Learning City Core 2005

4.Interoperability - the common foundation

5.A shift is underway

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES (CONT’D)

6. 3 – factors that improve Emergency Response

7. Interoperability – Framework

8. Conclusion

9. QUESTIONS

INTEROPERABILITY – THE DAY IN THE LIFE OF………

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Some 24,000 business and professional service firms in Toronto

Toronto is home to 9 of Canada's 10 largest law practices, 9 of the top 10 accounting firms, 7 of the 10 largest advertising and communications agencies and all 10 top human resources and benefits firms

(Source: City of Toronto Business Clusters; 2001 data)

The safety and security of the employees of these businesses rest with the leadership team of these businesses

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (CONT’D)

Accountability for the safety and security shared

More often than not, the landlord/owners assume more responsibility than is practical

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (CONT’D)

Often a person/dept responsible to ensure the right level of safety and security practices are in place

Highly trained and qualified staff

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (CONT’D)

The property management teams of these office towers and buildings will:

Conduct fire drills

Provide in house safety & security training

Established fire (evacuation) wardens/PRA (mobility impaired) programs

EMERGENCY PLANS

Every building/tower will have some sort of an emergency plan

Canada Labour Code & Ontario Occupational Health & Safety Act CLC; 124 & 125 OH&SA; Section 24 (2)(h) Section 25 (2)

Often a team has been established, respond to and manage the emergency

This team is often comprised of: Building operators (engineers) Security

EMERGENCY PLANS (CONT’D)

Regardless of the plan names, there are common objectives:

Protect the safety and lives of the building occupants Mitigate the impact of a disaster and speed recovery, and Maintain the reputation of the landlord/owner and property

EMERGENCY PLAN GAPS

There appears to be two (2) common gaps that exist:

1. What Plans do the tenants of these buildings/towers have?

2. What are the plans of the various emergency services (public agencies)?

What do they require of us? How will what they do affect what we do/can we still carryout our

response? How much in charge are the emergency services, does it depend on the

agency? Will they tell us to evacuate our building?

CASE STUDY & LEARNING

City Core 2005

Agencies comprised of:

Toronto Police Service - Public Safety Unit, 52 Division, Joint CBRN Team, ETF;

Toronto Fire Service - Joint CBRN Team, Heavy Haz, South Command, elements

of HUSAR;

Toronto EMS - Joint CBRN Team;

Toronto Public Health;

Shelter Support Housing and Administration;

Toronto OEM - EOC activated with Toronto Emergency Management Program

Committee;

Toronto Transit Commission.

CASE STUDY & LEARNING (cont’d)

City Core 2005

An explosion at the St. Andrew’s Subway Station in downtown Toronto

A bomb threat & second explosion in a near by office Tower

Discovery of undetonated improvised explosive devices

Hydrogen cyanide gas release

CASE STUDY & LEARNING (cont’d)

City Core 2005

Building Tenants volunteered their time ( role of evacuees and victims)

A total of 200 responders (emergency services and private sector) participated

At the time was the only exercise of its kind conducted jointly with the private sector (property management organization)

CITY CORE LEARNING (CONT’D)

After the exercise, a debrief “hot wash” occurred with the management team and property responders.

Learning’s included:

The command team would need to evacuate the tower

The building would be fully evacuated

Resources required to manage evacuees would be stretched

CITY CORE LEARNING (CONT’D)

Learning’s included:

The property would be left to manage the incident/impact until the emergency services, CBRN, Toronto Fire… had setup and confirmed what they were dealing with

The incident commander and or Sr. team leader maybe required to be a direct resource for the emergency agencies

INTEROPERABILITY - THE COMMON FOUNDATION

NFPA 1600/ICS

Fire Safety Plan

Objective to protect life, reduce impact (protect the asset) and speed recovery

A SHIFT IS UNDERWAY

Relationships have been and continue to be established between the two sectors

BOMA TORONTO (Building Owners and Management Association)

DRIE – GTIME (Disaster Recovery Information Exchange- Greater Toronto Incident Management Exchange)

TAPPS (Toronto Association of Private Police and Security) - (2008 recipient of the Chief Michael Shanahan Award for Excellence in public/private cooperation)

A SHIFT IS UNDERWAY (CONT’D)

SAFE GROUP (South Area Facility Entertainment)

BENS (Business Executives for National Security)

SAFEGAURD IOWA- PARTNERSHIP

Public-Private Alliances to the RescueMany companies are realizing that they can play a crucial role in helping communities recover from natural catastrophes

by Rachael King

Special Report - July 7, 2008

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

1. Businesses increasingly use their technological expertise

2.If a community around an organization fails to stand backup, a company can’t fully bounce back

3. The need for companies to get involved will rise

4.Businesses have the motivation, it’s their asset, their market place, their employees that are at risk

3 – FACTORS THAT CAN IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Preparedness – the 4 “C’s”

Post-Mortems

Transparent Communication

3 – FACTORS THAT CAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE (CONT’D)

PREPAREDNESS- THE 4“C’s”

Communication

When will it occur (frequency)? What we will be shared? Whom will it be established with?

3 – FACTORS THAT CAN IMPROVE EMEREGNCY RESPONSE (CONT’D)

PREPAREDNESS- THE 4 “C’s”

Command

When will this happen? Where will this happen? Who is in command? (private or public)

3 – FACTORS THAT CAN IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE (CONT’D)

PREPAREDNESS- THE 4 “C’s”

Control/Containment

How will the impact be controlled & the spread be contained? What can we do to contribute? What resources are essential? What can be done before hand?

3 – FACTORS THAT CAN IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE (CONT’D)

PREPAREDNESS- THE 4 “C’s”

Coordination

Establishment of ICS? Between whom? From where?

3 – FACTORS THAT CAN IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE (CONT’D)

TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION

Based on trust

Failure to communicate - increases assumptions

Has to reach the responders

Devalues the preparedness efforts

3 – FACTORS THAT CAN IMPROVE INTEROPERABILITY (CONT’D)

POST-MORTEMS

Validates what worked and what didn’t

Contributes to future preparedness efforts

Takes the time to recognize the efforts of all responders (public and private)

Improves trust

Re-addresses the 4 “C’s”

INTEROPRABILITY – FRAMEWORK

BENS & STATE OF CALFORNIA MOU HIGHLIGHTS

Private sector will support emergency response and recovery consistent with the Standardized Emergency Management System and the National Incident Management System.

Private sector facilities intended to provide a locally based function will integrate with emergency management at the city and county government levels, as appropriate

INTEROPRABILITY – FRAMEWORK (CONT’D)

MOU HIGHLIGHTS

Notification: A standard and shared communication tool

Development of a Business Operations Center ("BOC") within the State Operations Center

INTEROPRABILITY – FRAMEWORK (CONT’D)

MOU HIGHLIGHTS

The partnerships will work with OES and other business entities to evaluate lessons learned after each proclaimed disaster

Information essential to affect emergency response will be shared amongst business partners and OES consistent with applicable laws and the need to protect sensitive proprietary information

CONCLUSION

Open transparent communication is essential (preparedness & post event)

Secret or confidential information is not being sought

Input from everyone is critical to improving and enhancing interoperability

The information has to get to the planners & responders

QUESTIONS?