Breaking down barriers: Collaborative education drives collective change
Breaking down barriers:
Collaborative education drives collective change
Rose Barg, EdD
INTRODUCTION
In the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center
in New York City on September 11, 2001, governments and
first response agencies in Ontario became acutely aware of
their vulnerability. While individual disciplines had
achieved various levels of readiness to respond to major or
complex emergencies, there was a clear need for greater
cooperation at all levels of government and among first
response agencies.
This article describes how the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM)
maximized the opportunity that resulted from this event to
develop a collaborative and systematic approach to
multi-agency training and education. The systems of
collaboration continue to contribute to increased
multi-agency readiness at the municipal, regional and
provincial levels throughout Ontario. This was evidenced in
response to the SARS outbreak and the major power outage
that were experienced in the province of Ontario in 2003.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROJECT
In the immediate shadow of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) initiated an emergency preparedness project. The comprehensive project goal that was established was
to ensure that a competent, multi-disciplinary team is available on a province-wide basis to respond to large-scale and/or complex natural or human-caused emergencies in a planned, coordinated and timely manner.
The achievement of this goal requires continuous evaluation,
monitoring and improvement of response readiness in relation
to emerging threats, pressures and practices. From the
outset, it was recognized that in order to meet this goal, a
major focus within the project would be on training.
PREPARING TO RESPOND: A TWO-PART APPROACH
The emergency preparedness project was comprised of a
two-part approach. The first part was to develop a
comprehensive provincial response strategy that partnered
with existing agency networks within the province. The
provincial response strategy was developed in response to a
survey of existing response capabilities. The survey
results, along with discussions with key stakeholders,
assisted in the development of appropriate goals and
strategies. The second part of the approach was to develop a
framework of multi-agency decision makers who would
collaborate and provide assistance to training and education
programs within the province.
The following sections outline the comprehensive provincial
response strategy and the multi-agency training and
educational system that emerged.
PART ONE: THE COMPREHENSIVE PROVINCIAL RESPONSE STRATEGY
Level one: Municipal and community response
In Ontario’s system of emergency management, the
municipal/community government must act first to attend to
the public’s emergency needs. First response agencies that
include fire, police and emergency medical services are
usually the first to arrive at the scene. They respond to
the incident in keeping with their agency-specific Standard
Operating Guidelines (SOGs) and in accordance with their
legislative frameworks.
When an incident involves the response to hazardous
materials, including chemical, radiological or nuclear (CBRN),
the expectation is that all municipal and community response
agencies throughout the province have the capacity to
respond to a level one response. Level one response teams
within Ontario are expected to respond in keeping with the
awareness level as defined by the National Fire
Protection Association Standard 472 (NFPA 472): Standard for
Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials
Incidents (2002, Edition). This means that all
responders should be able to recognize the presence of
hazardous materials and take appropriate safety precautions,
secure the scene of the incident, and call the appropriate
authorities for assistance.
Level two and three response teams
When advanced support is required to respond to these
emergencies, assistance is available through agreements
within mutual aid systems or from contracted service
providers. Where such incidents involve CBRN/hazardous
materials and the community has declared a municipal
emergency, level two and/or level three response teams who
have partnered with the OFM may be activated by the
Provincial Operations Centre (POC), which is operated by
Emergency Management Ontario (EMO). These teams support the
local community in the response.
Level two response teams, who are trained to the operations
level as defined by NFPA 472, come from fire departments
that are strategically located throughout the province and
have entered into partnerships with the OFM to respond to
these incidents. The responsibilities of level two teams
include analysis of incidents, identification of hazards,
containment, and decontamination.
Activating provincial and federal resources
The POC receives requests for assistance from regional
fire coordinators who coordinate mutual aid systems for
local communities throughout the province. Fire coordinators
identify the details of the incident and request resources
to mitigate the emergency. Upon approval, the appropriate
level of response team is activated. As warranted by the
situation, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Provincial
Emergency Response Team (PERT), and the OFM Emergency
Response Team (ERT) may provide response support. This can
include the provision of mobile command posts, protective
clothing or response radio and satellite communications
systems, along with individuals who are prepared to offer
advice and assistance. The provincial response teams work in
cooperation with appropriate multi-agency response as
required by the nature of the incident.
Depending on the nature of the emergency, provincial
ministers may be delegated to take the lead in handling
certain emergencies. (For example a toxic spill would fall
under the Ministry of the Environment while a major nuclear
response would be coordinated through EMO.)
Access to federal assistance is also coordinated through EMO.
This includes notification or intervention in incidents that
involve federal jurisdictions, such as a war, or where
federal lands are concerned. The federal government, through
the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has primary
responsibility in the event of suspected terrorist
incidents.
PART TWO: MULTI-AGENCY COLLABORATION ON
TRAINING AND EDUCATION
When this project was first established, the OFM wanted
to ensure that all training and educational initiatives
targeted the appropriate groups of responders and agencies,
that the course content was appropriate for each target
group, and that the courses developed were coordinated with
those being offered by other agencies. For these reasons, it
was determined that a systematic and comprehensive approach
would be developed through the appointment of a multi-agency
committee so that the appropriate input, feedback and
recommendations would be received to support the development
of an emergency preparedness academic unit.
Emergency preparedness/response core planning committee
To initiate a systematic and comprehensive approach to
training and education, the multi-agency emergency
preparedness/response core planning committee was
established. The committee’s mandate was to provide advice
and recommendations on the development and coordination of
all training projects that resulted from this OFM-led
government initiative for multi-disciplinary team response
to large scale or complex emergencies. This committee now
has representatives from more than 15 agencies including
fire, police, emergency medical services (EMS), EMO,
emergency health services (EHS), public health and
hospitals. The committee meets regularly to share
information and discuss issues that relate to multi-agency
training and education and to ensure that there is a
coordinated approach to multi-agency training initiatives in
Ontario.
Multi-agency course planning work teams
In addition to providing advice and recommendations on
training projects, a key responsibility of committee members
is to assist the OFM by providing appropriate
agency-specific work team members to assist in the
development of course materials.
Multi-agency work teams are established to collaborate on
planning, development and delivery of training programs to
ensure that their separate and collective needs are met. By
using multi-agency work teams appointed through the core
planning committee, the OFM is assured that the appropriate
course content is addressed in multi-agency courses, so the
educational needs of the targeted groups of responders are
met and that the courses are coordinated with those from
other jurisdictions and agencies.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
The courses that have been developed and offered to date
are forming part of what will become the Emergency
Management Centre of Excellence. Physically, the Centre will
operate from the grounds of the Ontario Fire College (OFC),
located in Gravenhurst, Ontario. The OFC is expanding its
capabilities beyond the fire service, to ensure that
appropriate registrations and certificates and other student
administration and record systems are established in keeping
with the needs of this multi-agency initiative. The
multi-agency education and training initiatives currently
available are delivered through the College, and will become
a key part of the Emergency Management Centre of Excellence.
The courses were designed by multi-agency work teams,
appointed by the core planning committee.
The following sections provide an overview of courses that
have been developed through this process to date. We believe
that the collaborative way in which these courses have been
developed contributes to the overall project goal.
COURSES THAT SUPPORT LEVEL ONE TEAMS
Terrorism/Hazardous Materials Awareness Training
The Terrorism/Hazardous Materials
Awareness for First Responders in Ontario: Self-Study
course is available to all first responders at
www.ofm.gov.on.ca.
This course, which is based on the NFPA
472, Standard for Professional Competence of Responders to
Hazardous Materials Incidents, 2002 Edition has been
distributed to first response agencies in Ontario and
continues to be downloaded by many multi-agency first
responders in the province. The goal is to reach as many
first responders as possible in keeping with the provincial
response strategy. We encourage all first responders from
fire, police and ambulance/emergency health and others
involved in response to develop the skills and knowledge
needed to meet the learning outcomes of awareness level
training. We continue to offer Ontario Fire College
Certificates of completion to those who have completed the
course.
Interagency First Responder Course
The Interagency
First Responder Course was developed for front-line
responders from fire, police, emergency/public health, EMO
as well as hospitals. This interactive workshop provides
participants with a common understanding of their shared and
separate roles and responsibilities when responding to
significant emergencies.
A cross section of speakers that
represent the varying agencies highlight the legislative
frameworks and protocols which govern the work of first
responders. This is followed by considerable sharing of
experiences, success stories and challenges, while
participants work through a series of case studies to plan
and practice a unified approach to incident management.
Although this course has been
piloted, it is still in the developmental stages, and plans
are underway to finalize course content and plan for its
implementation with multi-agency first responders within
Ontario.
Multi-Agency Senior Officer/Manager Course
This year, our
Multi-Agency Senior Officer/Manager Course is being
rolled out for regional delivery in key communities within
the province. Although the first communities to be targeted
for this opportunity are those who have partnered with the
OFM as level two (operational level) or level three
(technician level) teams that contribute to Ontario’s
provincial response strategy, the long term intent is to
make this course available throughout the province. The
target group is senior decision makers, officers and
managers who work together in local communities to plan for
and respond to complex emergencies.
The purpose of this workshop is to provide an opportunity to
the senior decision makers from regional emergency
management and response agencies to work through case
studies of significant or complex emergencies. Participants
practice implementation of a unified incident management
system in keeping with the emerging provincial and local
protocols. The shared and separate roles and
responsibilities of the multi-disciplinary agencies are
highlighted while focusing on cooperation and collaboration
that contributes to a seamless transition from one agency’s
responsibilities to the next. Participants practice
responses to simulated complex emergencies and are
encouraged to take the acquired knowledge, skills and
resource materials back to their local departments.
From the Halliburton area, a senior manager in the long-term care centre wrote:
I was able to take the information that I gained and use it to revise our internal emergency response plan, and make contact with our EMO community officers in our three counties. This enabled us to contribute to our municipal CBRN emergency response plan.
A sergeant from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) who participated in the course stated:
The use of Multi-Agency Senior Officer/Manager Course was beneficial in seeing the vast perspectives in dealing with an emergency from all agencies. At times we become too entrapped in our own programs to see the impact emergencies have on other agencies. More specifically police, fire and ambulance forget about the support agencies that deal with and continue to care for those who are impacted long after the initial emergency is over.
A participant from the Health Sciences Centre in Hamilton indicated: This course provided valuable insight
and education about agencies my organization doesn’t deal
with on a daily basis. In the event of an emergency or
disaster situation, the information and networking
opportunities with experts in the field will be invaluable
to my organization and myself.
COURSES THAT SUPPORT LEVEL TWO TEAMS
Hazardous Materials Operations Course
A Hazardous Materials Operations Course was developed to support the response of level two teams. This course, which has been accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) meets the operations level of the NFPA 472 Standard. It was initially offered on location by the OFC to level two teams. Subsequent courses have been delivered by local instructors who are qualified as associate instructors with the OFC. Using in-depth classroom activities that focus on both skill and knowledge, this course targets responders who will support the local level one teams. The teams trained to this level are prepared to analyze hazardous materials incidents, determine the nature of the hazards, plan a safe response, and practice decontamination procedures.
COURSES THAT SUPPORT LEVEL THREE TEAMS
Hazardous Materials Technician Course
One of the requirements of level three teams is that
members are trained to the technician level in accordance
with NFPA 472. Consequently, a
Hazardous Materials Technician Course
has been developed to support these teams. This two-week
course provides participants with an opportunity to analyze
situational factors that involve hazardous or other CBRN
materials. Learners go through several rigorous simulated
hazardous scene responses where they assess and identify
hazards, develop and implement action plans and practice
responding safely as team members. Learners also focus on
rescue, recovery and scene restoration, while using
specialized protective equipment.
Provincial CBRN response teams training and exercise
Over the past three years, we have
held at least one major exercise annually, where the
provincial CBRN response teams from Windsor, Ottawa and
Toronto, supported by OPP PERT, health, and other agencies,
meet to work at enhancing their cooperative capabilities in
responding to simulated, complex CBRN emergencies. The
workshops associated with these training sessions have
focused on identification of hazards, intervention, rescue
and recovery, decontamination, mass decontamination and
radiation safety. A major one-day multi-agency exercise
tests the response and decision-making actions within a
unified incident management system.
SUMMARY
In summary, the Office of the Fire Marshal has been able to contribute to multi-disciplinary training and education to support preparedness and response within Ontario. However, we could not have done so without the considerable support and shared efforts of the multi-agency network. By collaborating with us from the early stages of this project to plan and discuss issues, to make recommendations, and to provide us with many, many planning team members with appropriate levels of knowledge and content expertise, we were able to meet many of the training needs within the province. We believe that the collaborative approach that was initiated early in this project, and the cooperative work that followed is contributing to this day, in breaking down barriers among agencies, and consequently increasing multi-agency preparedness at the municipal, regional and provincial levels throughout Ontario.
