Halifax needs better emergency management strategy instead of 'ad hoc' policies: report

A new consultant's report lays out how to improve emergency management in the Halifax Regional Municipality, a day before the anniversary of a major wildfire that tore through the suburban community of Upper Tantallon.

The report from KI Emergency Management came before HRM's executive standing committee Monday.

Larry Jones, the report's author, told councillors that Halifax has dedicated staff who know how to handle emergencies, and work well with police forces and the province in stressful situations.

But he said the city's actual plans and policies are not thoroughly documented — so vital knowledge would be lost whenever key staff leave.

"There is a significant gap between what constitutes a robust program and then the actual documentation to support it," Jones said.

The consultants reviewed Halifax's various emergency documents and policies, and found that emergency management seems to have "evolved in an ad hoc manner over decades."

Although Halifax has various emergency plans and reports, the consultants said it was not always clear how they fit into a municipal-wide strategic approach to emergency management.

The absence of an overall program following industry best practices and standards "is of concern," the report said.

For example, Halifax's municipal emergency plan was last updated in 2017. While it references various important factors — like evacuation, setting up the emergency operations centre, and training — it's not "thorough or comprehensive enough to provide much direction and guidance as HRM becomes increasingly [emergency management] aware."

"This is a bit of a surprise to see rework has to be done," said Coun. Paul Russell.

The report suggests Halifax create a multi-year strategic plan, which would include lessons learned from last May's wildfire in Upper Tantallon and July's historic rainfall that caused dramatic flooding in Halifax and elsewhere in the province. After that, it's important to create a modern emergency management plan.

Coun. Tony Mancini asked whether a better emergency plan could have changed the city's response in those situations, but Jones said it's difficult to know.

"It can only help, I would say, but I can't give you a definitive 'would it be better or not.' But it is always a better baseline because then you know where you're starting from," Jones said.

Bill Moore, executive director of Halifax's community safety department, said the emergency management office has added staffed in recent years, and now has six people to help with this work.