East Hants aims to better prepare for emergencies with new role
Municipality looks for someone to head emergency office, connect with first responders
The Municipality of East Hants is hiring a key staff person to better help the area prepare for emergencies, and learn from events like last summer's major floods.
East Hants is looking for a manager of protective services, which will head up the Emergency Management Office (EMO) for the municipality and be a liaison for fire departments, RCMP, and East Hants Ground Search and Rescue.
"It is one of those things that you hope that the residents never need to know we have, because they won't need the services," said Kim Ramsay, chief administrative officer for East Hants.
But Ramsay said if the last two or three years have proven anything, it's that Nova Scotians should expect the unexpected.
"We need to pay attention, and I think people will see a definite benefit in our response to emergencies moving forward."
Shifting to a dedicated role
Until now, Ramsay said multiple staff members have handled these safety roles off the side of their desks. For example, the current emergency management person is also the local development officer.
Last July, dramatic flooding hit the area hard and washed out a section of highway. In neighbouring West Hants, four people died after their vehicles became submerged in water.
An East Hants after-action report on the flash flood made recommendations like activating the emergency co-ordination centre more often, releasing better public information on preparedness, closing local campgrounds ahead of major storms, and declaring a local state of emergency in similar situations.
"I think it's having someone who's actually going to not just let that sit on their desk and sort of force us all to have those conversations," Ramsay said.
While East Hants has taken some action on these points, Ramsay said more planning is needed around evacuations as well as areas where homes and businesses are close to large sections of woodland and at the highest risk of forest fires.
N.S. working on flood plain maps
The municipality is working on a flood map of one brook this year, but Ramsay said it has paused a wider look at East Hants until the province comes out with detailed flood plain maps across Nova Scotia, which are expected by 2026.
Ramsay said the new manager of protective services will be especially important as the province launches its new Department of Emergency Management and new volunteer corps called the Nova Scotia Guard.
Now East Hants will have a dedicated person who can explore whether a regional emergency management structure could make sense with neighbouring municipalities, Ramsay said, similar to what happens in Colchester and Lunenburg counties.
"Having co-ordinated efforts between us and different municipalities doesn't just happen, it takes energy and effort," Ramsay said.
The manager will also work with RCMP to ensure the municipality's new policing model is effective, Ramsay said. As of this month, East Hants now has 24/7 policing coverage with four new officers at local detachments and two civilian departmental assistants to take on the administrative work.
The job posting for the manager of protective services closes April 25, and the new hire is expected to start within the next few months.
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