A new emergency management bylaw has been approved by Airdrie City council, which will accommodate changes implemented by the province in an effort to enhance emergency response in Alberta.
“This bylaw is being brought forward because a new regulation is being put in place…in 2020,” said Lorri Laface, emergency management co-ordinator with the City.
According to Laface, the previous bylaw established authorities and committees for the preparation of emergency plans and programs, as well as to declare local emergencies and direct and control local emergency response – the updated bylaw will do the same, while adhering to the new regulations.
“Following some significant disasters in Alberta between 2013 to 2016 and their subsequent after-action reports, the province of Alberta found it desirous to consult municipalities to find effective solutions to strengthen large-scale emergency response in Alberta,” Laface said during a presentation to council at a regular meeting Nov. 4.
The recommendations that resulted from consultations in 2018 suggested a command, control and co-ordination system be recognized province-wide to better manage future emergency events. To implements this, she said, the province developed the Local Authority Emergency Management Regulation (LEMR), effective Jan. 1, 2020.
The Incident Command System (ICS) provides municipalities with an overview of how this new system is to be incorporated across the province, Laface said.
“Within local jurisdictions, the province will leave it up to each local authority to reflect how ICS will be implemented through its local emergency management bylaws and emergency management plans,” she said. “This provides flexibility to each local authority to best determine how ICS will be used in their emergency management program.”
The City’s previous emergency management bylaw came into effect in 2014, according to Laface, and in addition to accommodating the new provincial regulations, the updated document reflects organizational changes that have occurred within the municipality since the bylaw was adopted.
Third reading on the new bylaw was carried unanimously.
