Crisis & Recovery Managing Logistics
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS | MANAGING LOGISTICS
"I wish that every resident could have spent one day in the EOC to see what these people did to get them home"
With a catastrophic event on a scale of this magnitude, Logistical considerations are significant. Firefighters, police forces and other emergency personnel are highly trained individuals who are adept at taking control of dire situations. But when there is no place for them to sleep, or nothing left for them to eat, or no equipment for them to work with, the magnitude of the emergency increases tenfold.
Whenever a wildfire becomes a threat to lives or properties, the MD forms what is called the Emergency Operations Center, or EOC for short. Typically located within the MD office itself, the EOC is comprised of MD staff and Council members who take their cues from Sustainable Resource Development, and who work collaboratively on evacuation, interdepartmental coordination, communications, finance, and management of the spectrum of situations, crises and variables that invariably occur. The neighbouring Town of Slave Lake has a similar EOC protocol in place. When fire encroached on both the MD and Town offices, the two groups formed a single EOC and relocated to the Northern Lakes College. This is where they would manage the procedural aspects of the wildfire in the days and weeks to come.
As events unfolded, neighbouring towns and municipalities lent resources and expertise. One of the first to arrive was Strathcona County Fire Chief Darrell Reid, who was fundamental in focusing the efforts of the EOC. Mounties and firefighters from other towns and cities began to arrive, but because of the province-wide fire hazard, many resources had to remain in their respective communities.
When the MD called for provincial assistance, Tom Sampson, Deputy Fire Chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) and Canada Task Force 2 were dispatched. Sampson and his crew were initially deployed to the area to provide emergency medical support, but were subsequently tasked to manage the EOC upon arrival. He was appointed by both MD and Town authorities to help them make decisions and coordinate ongoing events. Canada Task Force 2 is one of only five teams in Canada trained to mobilize to outlying communities in crisis and increase their capacities for disaster response and recovery. They lent considerable resources and expertise to current emergency operations efforts already underway. Canada Task Force contributed planning and logistics personnel, and MD and Town staff augmented this team with finance and administrative support.
HELPING THE HELPLESS
When reality set in and it became apparent that homecoming was weeks away for Lesser Slave residents, Animal Rescue was tasked with finding, feeding and relocating pets left behind in the panic. Read about it here.
MEANINGFUL GESTURES
Whether motivated by duty or led by their own moral compass, a variety of official and homemade heroes stepped in to help the citizens of Lesser Slave River douse the flames and begin to heal. These are their stories.
A MESSAGE OF HOPE
On November 22, 2011, Reeve Denny Garratt was invited to share Lesser Slave River's story of crisis and recovery with fellow elected officials at the AAMDC Convention in Edmonton. This is what he told a packed auditorium.
FIRE WEATHER INDEX
CRISIS PRESENTATION
View an immersive presentation on the spring 2011 wildfires.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Listen to the personal accounts of those who weathered the fires.
Angeline, Safety Coordinator
Kelly, Human Resource Coordinator
Vanessa, Animal Rescue Worker
INTERACTIVE MAP
Discover where the wildfires began and how they spread
