Whereas Emergency Management BC is the Province of BCs lead coordinating agency for all emergency management activities, including training, testing and exercising, to help strengthen provincial preparedness; And whereas Emergency Management BC works in collaboration with local governments, First Nations, federal departments, industry, non-governmental organizations and volunteers during emergency response efforts; And whereas local governments with a population under 5,000 people, make up more than half of the 162 municipalities in British Columbia; And whereas local governments with a population under 5,000 often do not have the capacity during an emergency event to coordinate with Emergency Management BC and also cannot afford to incur a financial obligation that is later disputed and not reimbursed though the Provincial Emergency Program administered by Emergency Management BC: Therefore be it resolved that Emergency Management BC make available to small, micro communities with populations under 5,000, Provincial Incident Commanders to make the critical on-site decisions during emergency events.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Emergency management is a shared responsibility; starting with individual personal preparedness and through to all levels of local, provincial, federal and international governments. Local authorities are at all times responsible for direction and control of local authority action in response to emergencies within their jurisdictions, and the vast majority of these are handled through first responders at the site level. For emergency incidents or events that require more significant coordination and response efforts, local authority Emergency Operations Centres, Provincial Regional Emergency Operations Centres, and if necessary, the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre may be activated to support local authorities with resources and expertise to bolster community efforts. These established processes reflect what is set out in the Emergency Program Act and associated regulations, which outline the roles and responsibilities of local authorities and the provincial government when preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies in the province. For events of the scope and scale that are beyond local authority capabilities such as those in 2003, 2017, and 2018, the Emergency Program Management Regulations outline how the Province must be prepared to assist local authorities to ensure an integrated, coordinated and effective response. The local authority is still expected to continue management of the response efforts in all emergency situations, to the best of its capability and capacity.