Cape Breton Regional municipality - A Community of Communities

Emergency Management Organization

Emergencies can occur anytime, anywhere. Some allow for preparation; others occur swiftly and without warning. There are things we can all do to make emergency situations a little easier to deal with. Your key to reducing the effects of an emergency is to be prepared. We all have a role to play, and CBRM Emergency Management Organization (EMO) is responsible within CBRM when responding to major emergencies for additional resources and personnel other than firefighters and police officers that may be required to respond in an effective and coordinated manner to an emergency so that the municipal can remain in control of the disaster-response effort. In Nova Scotia, the Emergency Measures Act requires each municipality (local authority) to develop an emergency management organization and to prepare plans and programs to address the affects or potential effects of disasters or major emergencies. (Click here (636 kB) to view the CBRM Emergency Plan). In unique circumstances such as disasters or major emergencies involving public safety, municipal government maybe required to enact emergency legislation (Emergency Measures Act) that gives the local authority extraordinary powers and necessary protection from liability for individuals who act on behalf of the local authority.

The CBRM has addressed the provincial legislative requirement by passing the CBRM Emergency Management By-Law (192 kB). The by-law not only creates the structure necessary to prepare the CBRM Emergency Plan, but it allows the organization to maintain it. The CBRM Emergency Management Organization consist of the following; (1) EMO Advisory Committee, (2) Emergency Management Coordinator, and (3) The Emergency Preparedness Planning Committee. The primary role of municipal government in an Emergency is to provide the organizational framework of response within which the coordinated response will take place. This coordinated response is achieved through the activation of one or both, the Emergency Site Team and/or the Emergency Operations Center.

In planning for emergencies and to lead coordinate emergency preparedness efforts the organization learns about the community and the potential hazards it faces; develops and formalize partnerships with other organizations (both internally and externally); identify needed resources and skills; develop procedures at all levels of the response network; outlines the general roles responsibilities and duties of all assigned emergency related functions under the plan; and allows key personnel with related emergency response responsibilities to be educated, train and to exercise the plan.