Federal Emergency Response Plan January 2011

Federal Emergency Response Plan January 2011 PDF Version (3.2 MB)

Amendments Record

Below is a list of amendments to the Federal Emergency Response Plan:

Section 1 - Plan Overview

1.1 Introduction

Most emergencies are local in nature and are managed at the community or provincial/territorial level. The Federal Government can become involved where it has primary jurisdiction and responsibility as well as when requests for assistance are received due to capacity limitations and the scope of the emergency. However, certain risk factors increase the potential for catastrophes to transcend geographical or jurisdictional boundaries and to challenge the capacity of federal and provincial/territorial governments to manage emergencies. These risk factors include increased urbanization, critical infrastructure dependencies and interdependencies, terrorism, climate variability and change, scientific and technological developments (e.g. nanotechnologies), animal and human health diseases, and the increased movement of people and goods around the world.

The Emergency Management Act defines emergency management as the prevention and mitigation of, preparedness for, response to, and recovery from emergencies. Under the Emergency Management Act, the Minister of Public Safety is responsible for coordinating the Government of Canada's response to an emergency. The Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP) is the Government of Canada's "all-hazards" response plan.

Public Safety Canada developed the FERP in consultation with other federal government institutions. The FERP outlines the processes and mechanisms to facilitate an integrated Government of Canada response to an emergency and to eliminate the need for federal government institutions to coordinate a wider Government of Canada response.

Federal government institutions are responsible for developing emergency management plans in relation to risks in their areas of accountability. By this method, individual departmental activities and plans that directly or indirectly support the strategic objectives of this plan contribute to an integrated Government of Canada response.

In order for this plan to be effective, all federal government institutions must be familiar with its contents.

1.2 Purpose

The FERP is designed to harmonize federal emergency response efforts with those of the provinces/territorial governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

1.3 Authorities

The Minister of Public Safety is responsible for promoting and coordinating emergency management plans, and for coordinating the Government of Canada's response to an emergency. The Minister of Public Safety authorized the development of the FERP pursuant to the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Act and the Emergency Management Act.

Pursuant to the Emergency Management Act, all federal ministers are responsible for developing emergency management plans in relation to risks in their areas of accountability. Individual departmental activities and plans that directly or indirectly support the FERP's strategic objectives contribute to the integrated Government of Canada response.

1.4 Scope

The FERP applies to domestic emergencies and to international emergencies with a domestic impact. This plan has both national and regional level components, which provide a framework for effective integration of effort both horizontally and vertically throughout the Federal Government.

The FERP does not replace, but should be read in conjunction with or is complimentary to, event-specific or departmental plans or areas of responsibility. The FERP applies to all federal government institutions.

1.5 Canada's Risk Environment

Canada's risk environment includes the traditional spectrum of natural and human-induced hazards: wildland and urban interface fires, floods, oil spills, the release of hazardous materials, transportation accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, health or public health disorders, disease outbreaks or pandemics, major power outages, cyber incidents, and terrorism.

Past emergencies in Canada demonstrate the challenges inherent in protecting the lives, critical infrastructure, property, environment, economy, and national security of Canada, its citizens, its allies, and the international community.

Canadians expect that the Federal Government will cooperate with provinces/territories, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to respond to emergencies that may escalate from the local and/or provincial/territorial level to the national level.

1.6 Strategic Objectives

• to save lives, reduce personal injuries, and protect and maintain public health;
• to protect property and the environment;
• to maintain law, order and national security;
• to maintain public confidence; and
• to reduce economic and social losses.

1.7 Integrated Government of Canada Response

During an integrated Government of Canada response, all involved federal government institutions assist in determining overall objectives, contribute to joint plans, and maximize the use of all available resources. This occurs at the national and regional levels as necessary, based on the scope and nature of the emergency.

An integrated Government of Canada response is required when:

• a province/territory requests federal support to deal with an emergency;
• an emergency affects multiple jurisdictions and/or government institutions and it requires a coordinated response;
• an emergency directly involves federal assets, services, employees, statutory authority or responsibilities, or it affects confidence in government; or
• an emergency affects other aspects of the national interest.

1.8 Relationship to Event-Specific and Departmental Plans

The FERP is the all-hazards plan for a coordinated federal response to emergencies.

In most cases, federal government institutions manage emergencies with event-specific or departmental plans based on their own authorities. While federal government institutions may implement these plans during an emergency, they must also implement the processes outlined in the FERP in order to coordinate with the Federal Government's emergency response.

1.9 Primary, Supporting and Coordinating Departments

The scope of an emergency will determine the role of federal government institutions. Public Safety Canada provides expertise in operations, situational awareness, risk assessment, planning, logistics, and finance and administration relevant to its coordination role. During escalation of the FERP, other federal government institutions provide support to these areas and are further defined in Section 2.

An explanation of the roles of the primary, supporting and coordinating departments follows below.

1.9.1 Primary Department

A primary department is a federal government institution with a mandate related to a key element of an emergency. Several federal government institutions may be designated as primary departments, depending on the nature of the emergency.

1.9.2 Supporting Department

A supporting department is a federal government institution that provides general or specialized assistance to a primary department in response to an emergency.

1.9.3 Coordinating Department

Public Safety Canada is the federal coordinating department based on the legislated responsibility of the Minister of Public Safety under the Emergency Management Act. As such, Public Safety Canada is responsible for engaging relevant federal government institutions.

1.10 Departmental Roles

Federal government institutions may have multiple roles:

• in the governance structure;
• at the regional level;
• through the Federal Coordination Group;
• in a response role through the Emergency Support Functions; and
• in augmenting the Government Operations Centre, through federal departmental representatives.

These roles are further defined in Section 2.

1.10.1 The Public Safety Canada Operations Directorate

As part of the coordinating department, the role of Public Safety Canada's Operations Directorate is to manage and support each of the primary functions of the Federal Emergency Response Management System (FERMS, see Section 2) at the strategic level, and Public Safety Canada Regional Offices perform the same role at the regional level. In doing so, Public Safety Canada will work in cooperation with federal departmental representatives and other representatives to guide the integration of activities in response to emergencies. The regional component of the FERMS has similar functions as the Government Operations Centre when escalated. Escalation occurs when one or more of the criteria in Section 1.7 are met. 

1.10.2 The Public Safety Canada Communications Directorate

The Public Safety Canada Communications Directorate coordinates emergency public communications activities for the Government of Canada between federal government institutions, with provincial/territorial partners, international partners, and with non-government organizations. The Communications Directorate also provides support and strategic public communications advice on issues relating to the public and media environment as part of each of the primary functions of the FERMS.

1.10.3 Federal Departmental Representatives

The Director General, Operations Directorate, in consultation with the Federal Coordinating Officer, determines the type of expertise required in the Government Operations Centre during an emergency response. He/she identifies which government institutions are required to provide federal departmental representatives and determines the time frame during which they are needed. These decisions are based on the scope and scale of the emergency and the response required. The Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers must approve these decisions.

Other federal government institutions may be requested to augment the Government Operations Centre with departmental representatives, Federal Liaison Officers and/or Subject Matter Experts. The Director General of the Operations Directorate will guide the Government Operations Centre in requesting federal departmental representatives via departmental emergency operations centres, when available, or through pre-established departmental duty officers.

Federal departmental representatives:

• may be required on a full-time basis throughout the incident, or only at specific times, depending upon the nature of the emergency;
• may need to support some or all of the primary functions of the FERMS based on the requirements of the response; and
• must be responsible and capable of responding expeditiously to the needs of the Federal Government through the Government Operations Centre.

1.10.4 Other Representatives

Representatives from non-governmental organizations and the private sector may be asked to support a federal response to an emergency and to provide subject matter expertise during an emergency.

1.11 Emergency Support Functions

Emergency Support Functions provide the mechanisms for grouping certain functions. Specifically, these are the functions most frequently used in providing federal support to provinces/territories or assistance from one federal government institution to another during an emergency.

Emergency Support Functions are allocated to government institutions in a manner consistent with their mandate (see Annex A for details on each function). They include policies and legislation, planning assumptions and concept(s) of operations to augment and support primary departmental programs, arrangements or other measures to assist provincial governments and local authorities, or to support the Government Operations Centre in order to coordinate the Government of Canada's response to an emergency.

One or more Emergency Support Functions may need to be implemented, depending on the nature or scope of the emergency.

Section 2 - Federal Emergency Response Management System

2.1 Introduction

The Federal Emergency Response Management System (FERMS) is a comprehensive management system which integrates the Government of Canada's response to emergencies. It is based on the tenets of the Incident Command System and the Treasury Board Secretariat's Integrated Risk Management Framework.

This system provides the governance structure and the operational facilities to respond to emergencies. The FERMS can scale operations to the scope required by an emergency with the support and emergency response expertise of other federal government institutions. It also links national and regional levels of activity, creating both vertical and horizontal integration of effort within the Federal Government, and integrates federal emergency response actions with those of the provinces/territories.

The FERMS provides the mechanisms and processes to coordinate the structures, the capabilities, and the resources of federal government institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector into an integrated emergency response for all hazards. Although individual threats may be addressed in event-specific or departmental plans, the FERMS is the framework that guides an integrated Government of Canada response.

The FERMS includes a coordinated system of public communications. Trained and experienced managers and staff from the Communications Directorate of Public Safety Canada provide support. The level of coordination is scaled to the scope of the emergency. Other national and regional government departments also provide support.

This section describes the key concepts related to the FERMS, including the federal governance structure, the federal response levels, the departmental roles, the primary functions of the FERMS, and the federal-regional component related to the FERMS.

2.2 Management by Objectives

These objectives are intended results or outcomes for a specific operational period. They are related to one or more of the strategic objectives identified in section 1.6. An Incident Action Plan Task Matrix tracks the achievement of each objective (see Annex B - Appendix 4).

2.3 Governance Structure

Governance refers to the management structures and processes that are in place during non-emergency and emergency circumstances. Under the FERP, the Government of Canada will engage existing governance structures to the greatest extent possible in response to an emergency. The nature and scope of the emergency will determine the government's response.

The following section describes the federal governance structure for an integrated Government of Canada response.

2.3.1 Committees of Cabinet

Committees of Cabinet provide the day-to-day coordination of the government's agenda, including issues management, legislation and house planning, and communications.

During an emergency, members of the Committee will receive summaries of decision briefs and other advice from members of the Committee of Deputy Ministers.

2.3.2 Committee of Deputy Ministers

During non-emergency (day-to-day) operations, the Committee of Deputy Ministers provides a forum to address public safety, national security, and intelligence issues. During an emergency, the Committee coordinates the Government of Canada's response and advises Ministers. The nature of the emergency will determine the Committee's membership.

2.3.3 Federal Coordinating Officer

The Deputy Minister, Public Safety Canada (or delegate) serves as the Federal Coordinating Officer on behalf of the Minister of Public Safety.

In addition to the overall coordination of a federal emergency response, the Federal Coordinating Officer also:

• supports the Minister's leadership role pursuant to the Emergency Management Act;
• provides policy direction to the Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers; and
• provides a leadership role within the Committee of Deputy Ministers as the Senior Official responsible for ensuring a coordinated federal response.

The Federal Coordinating Officer may also approve options and recommendations by the Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers for consideration by the Committee of Deputy Ministers.

2.3.4 Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers

Assistant Deputy Ministers Emergency Management Committee

During non-emergency (day-to-day) operations, the Committee provides a forum to discuss the Government of Canada's emergency management processes and readiness.

During an emergency, the Assistant Deputy Ministers Emergency Management Committee will:

• support the Federal Coordinating Officer as required;
• provide direction to officials within the Government Operations Centre through the Director General of the Operations Directorate;
• approve the content and substance of Deputy Minister briefings;
• coordinate and recommend response options to the Committee of Deputy Ministers or to the Committees of Cabinet; and
• meet at the request of either co-chair based on input from the Committee of Deputy Ministers and/or the other members of the Assistant Deputy Ministers Emergency Management Committee. (Note: The government may create sub-committees with a limited membership to address specific elements of an emergency).

The Associate Assistant Deputy Minister of Emergency Management and National Security and the Canadian Forces – Commander of Canada Command co-chair the Assistant Deputy Ministers Emergency Management Committee.

Assistant Deputy Ministers National Security Operations Committee

The Assistant Deputy Ministers National Security Operations Committee ensures coordination for operational events affecting national security.  Committee membership consists of the key security and intelligence operational bodies, and is co-chaired by Public Safety Canada and the Privy Council Office. 

The Committee is responsible for:

• improving situational awareness between key members of the national security community;
• assisting in the development of strategies, programs and initiatives supporting a coordinated federal approach in national security matters;
• providing coordinated advice to the Government of Canada on the management of national security operational activities during crisis/emergency events or situations;
• coordinating decision-making, as required; and
• supporting discussions at the Deputy Minister and Minister level.

2.4 Management

The Director General, Operations Directorate leads the management team. The management team is responsible for the actions and functions of the FERMS. It also establishes and oversees the successful completion of the objectives set for each operational period. The management team sets objectives based on guidance from the Federal Coordinating Officer.

The management team consists of:

2.4.1 Director General, Operations Directorate

The Director General, Operations Directorate or his/her delegate is responsible for the management function and for the overall operation of the Government Operations Centre.

2.4.2 Department of Justice Representative

Counsel from the Department of Justice, Public Safety Canada, Legal Services Unit, supports management by providing advice on legal issues. The Legal Services Unit from the primary departments, from the supporting departments, and from the Department of Justice provides additional support or advice as required during a potential or actual emergency.

2.4.3 Director General, Communications

The Director General of Public Safety Canada Communications assumes the role of Public Communications Officer. The Public Communications Officer provides public communications advice as part of the management team, coordinates the integration of public communications within each of the primary functions, and provides leadership to the Government of Canada public communications community.

2.4.4 Primary Departmental Representatives

Primary departmental representatives form part of the management team. They provide input on the support needs of their home institution in response to an incident. Primary departmental representatives are assigned by a primary department and are delegated authority to make decisions affecting that institution's participation in the response activities, following appropriate consultation with the leadership of their home institution.

2.4.5 Directors of Primary Functions

The Director General, Operations Directorate is responsible for the management function, while four Directors from the Operations Directorate (Operations/Plans and Logistics/Situational Awareness-Risk Assessment/Finance and Administration) are responsible for the other primary functions. Each Director is a FERMS expert. The Directors guide departmental representatives through the process.

2.5 Government Operations Centre

Public Safety Canada houses the Government Operations Centre. It is the principal location from which Subject Matter Experts and Federal Liaison Officers from federal government institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector perform the primary functions related to FERMS. Federal government institution-specific operations centres support their departmental roles and mandates and contribute to the integrated Government of Canada response through the Government Operations Centre. The responsible federal government institution's facilities manage Emergency Support Functions, which are integrated with the Government Operations Centre's efforts. Public Safety Canada Watch Officers and Senior Watch Officers staff the Government Operations Centre during non-emergency (day-to-day) operations.

The Government Operations Centre may request federal departmental representatives to support some or all of these primary functions based on the requirements of the response. These positions include both Federal Liaison Officers and Subject Matter Experts. Federal Liaison Officers serve as the link between the Government Operations Centre and their home institution. They provide knowledge of their home institution including roles, responsibilities, mandates and plans. They are also responsible for briefing their home institution on developments related to the incident and its response. Subject Matter Experts provide expertise in specific scientific or technological areas or aspect of the response.

2.5.1 Public Safety Canada Emergency Response Levels

Introduction

The purpose for establishing and communicating emergency response levels with regard to a potential or occurring incident is to alert federal government institutions and other public and private sector emergency response partners that some action outside of routine operations, may, or will be required.

The Government Operations Centre within Public Safety Canada routinely monitors a wide variety of human and natural events within Canada and internationally, and provides daily situation reports compiled from a variety of sources. However, a potential or occurring incident may require response beyond normal monitoring and situational reporting. The levels of response are calibrated to the scope and potential impact of the incident and the urgency of the required response.

The Director General, Operations Directorate, in consultation with the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, will authorize the Government Operations Centre to communicate the response level of this plan to the Federal Government's emergency response partners. At the Regional level, the Public Safety Canada Regional Director, in consultation with the Director General, Operations Directorate and the Government Operations Centre, will authorize the Federal Coordination Centre to communicate the response level of this plan to regional response partners.

The three response levels defined below are intended to provide a logical progression of activity from enhanced monitoring and reporting to an integrated federal response.

Note: Although the description of response levels are provided in a linear progression, it is often the case that, in response to a potential or occurring incident, linear escalation of response levels is not always followed. For example, an immediate Level 2 or 3 response may be required. As well, depending upon the situation, a Level 2 response may return to a Level 1 response once risk assessment and contingency planning has occurred in anticipation of an incident.

Level 1 - Enhanced Reporting

A Level 1 response serves to focus attention upon a specific event or incident that has the potential to require an integrated response by the Federal Government.

Level 2 - Risk Assessment and Planning

A Level 2 response requires a full understanding of an incident. As an incident unfolds and the requirements for a federal response becomes clearer, a risk assessment is conducted. This assessment, conducted in consultation with Subject Matter Experts, identifies vulnerabilities, aggravating external factors and potential impacts.

The assessment then guides the development of a strategic plan for an inte­grated response (if required). Subject Matter Experts are usually required during the development of risk assessments and contingency planning.

As part of the contingency planning process, relevant Emergency Support Functions are used to identify departmental responsibilities and issues. Federal Liaison Officers and Subject Matter Ex­perts from federal government institutions and other public sector partners are consulted and may be asked to provide further information relevant to the situation, either electronically or through their presence in the Government Operations Centre.

Level 2 includes enhanced reporting.

The Government Operations Centre serves as the coordination centre for the federal response, and provides regular situation reports as well as briefing and decision-making support materials for Ministers and Senior Officials. As requests for information and assistance are received, they are assigned to those institutions with the applicable mandate and response capabilities to carry out and/or support the integrated federal response. The Federal Coordination Centre is the focal point for Federal and Federal-Provincial/Territorial coordination during response. It supports and is supported by the Government Operations Centre.

When an integrated response is required, all plans and arrangements for the federal response are escalated. Federal Liaison Officers are usually required to participate in the Government Operations Centre throughout this level of escalation, whereas Subject Matter Experts from Primary and Supporting institutions will be requested to contribute to the on-going risk assessment and planning activities as required. Departmental emergency response plans are escalated and materiel and resources readied in anticipation of provincial or other requests for federal assistance, and the Government Operations Centre maintains constant communication with those activated centres.

Level 3 includes enhanced reporting along with risk assessments and planning as required.

2.6 Primary Functions

Public Safety Canada integrates the federal component of an emergency response through the following functions:

• operations;
• situational awareness;
• risk assessment;
• planning;
• logistics; and
• finance and administration.

The scope of the emergency will determine the scale and level of engagement of each of these functions. The Director General, Operations Directorate, in consultation with the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, will guide decisions regarding the scale and level of engagement.

Public Safety Canada's Communications Directorate supports each of these functions and integrates the coordinated public communications response into the overall Government of Canada emergency response.

2.6.1 Operations

During non-emergency, day-to-day operations, the Operations Function is responsible for monitoring, validating, reporting, and responding to events of national interest on a 24/7 basis. For certain short-term events, the Operations Function performs all primary functions pursuant to standard operating procedures or to the applicable contingency plan. During an emergency, the Government Operations Centre utilizes a dedicated component within the Operations Function to continue these routine 24/7 functions while emergency operations take over the more urgent Operations functions. At the regional level, the Federal Coordination Centre is established to respond consistently to the scope and nature of the emergency.

Key procedures of the Operations Function are:

• to act as the primary point of contact for federal government institutions, provinces/territories, and non-governmental organizations, on behalf of the Government Operations Centre or Federal Coordination Centre as applicable. (Note: The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) is the primary point of contact for international partners on behalf of the Government of Canada and provides information to the Government Operations Centre to distribute to stakeholders);
• to receive, prioritize, distribute, and log all in-coming classified and unclassified documentation;
• to manage operations for each operational cycle according to the Incident Action Plan or the Strategic Advanced Plan objectives (see Section 2.6.4);
• to manage immediate operations as required by an emergency; and
• to manage logistics operations according to logistics planning objectives.

2.6.2 Situational Awareness

The Situational Awareness Function provides appropriate emergency-related information to assist the Government of Canada and its partners in responding to threats and emergencies, and to help stakeholders make policy decisions.

Key procedures of the Situational Awareness Function are:

• to review, analyze, synthesize, and assess the credibility of published and sensitive information from various sources;
• to communicate information (to decision-makers and other stakeholders as required) through situational awareness products while protecting sensitive/classified information;
• to liaise with various government contacts (e.g., the security and intelligence community, US Department of Homeland Security, foreign contacts) in consultation with DFAIT, as well as with the federal science and technology community, provincial/territorial counterparts, and private sector organizations, in order to obtain information related to an ongoing emergency; and
• to develop and provide geomatics or other specialized products to accompany other situational awareness products.

The Situational Awareness Function may issue these standard situational awareness products during an emergency:

Notification

The Notification provides initial information on an incident, the source of reporting, current response actions, initial risk assessment, and the public communications lead. It may include pre-scripted initial media lines and geomatics products. Federal and provincial/territorial governments and the private sector may receive a Notification, depending on the nature of the incident.

Situation Report

The Situation Report provides current information about an incident, the immediate and future response actions, an analysis of the impact of the incident, and issues identification. The Situational Awareness Function issues a Situation Report for each operational period (or as directed by the Director General, Operations Directorate). At the regional level, the Federal Coordination Centre Situation Reports are generated and transmitted to the Government Operations Centre for each operational period and their focus includes regional federal impacts and/or response. Federal and provincial/territorial governments and the private sector may receive a Situation Report, depending upon the nature of the incident.

Decision Brief

The Decision Brief includes a Situation Report and it may also include options and recommended courses of action. Its purpose is to update and request direction from Senior Officials and Ministers.

Note: Templates contained in Annex B.

2.6.3 Risk Assessment

The Risk Assessment Function involves examining threat(s) associated with emerging, imminent and/or ongoing incidents in order to determine the impact to Canada's critical infrastructure and the level of response, if required (Section 2.5.1).  The process also supports the development of a strategic contingency plan for the incident, if required. 

Key procedures of the Risk Assessment Function are:

• ongoing hazard analysis (threat and vulnerability analysis) and probability assessment;
• determination/analysis of mitigating or aggravating factors;
• impact analysis on critical infrastructure sectors;
• risk analysis; and
• recommendations to decision makers.

Information obtained through the risk assessment process may be included in information products such as Situation Reports and Decision Briefs, as required.

2.6.4 Planning

The Planning Function develops objectives, courses of action, and strategic advanced plans for the Government of Canada based on information from the Risk Assessment Function. The management team consults with the Federal Coordinating Officer before approving the proposed objectives and courses of action.

2.6.5 Logistics

The Logistics Function procures and/or provides the necessary personnel, goods, and/or transportation resources to one or more of the regions affected by an incident. The Logistics Function is responsible for preventing the duplication of response efforts by government and non-government organizations.

Key procedures of the Logistics Function are:

• to coordinate the mobilization and deployment of resources (e.g., equipment, material, personnel) and to establishing temporary facilities to assist with the delivery of these resources during national emergencies, in collaboration with other federal departments or other levels of government;
• to coordinate with and assist primary and supporting departments in the transportation of resources when requests for assistance are urgent;
• to assist primary and supporting departments when the transportation of normally available resources to the providing departments is either insufficient or inaccessible;
• to track the status and availability of major federal resources that are deployed; and
• to implement mutual aid agreements or other logistical arrangements.

The Government Operations Centre mobilizes and coordinates resources and capabilities from the following organizations:

• federal – departmental headquarters;
• federal – regional departments;
• crown corporations/agencies;
• provincial/territorial emergency management organizations;
• industry/private sector; and
• non-governmental organizations.

2.6.6 Finance and Administration

This function provides financial and administrative support to the Government Operations Centre and/or the Federal Coordination Centre.

Key procedures of the Finance and Administration Function are:

• to provide appropriate access controls, security staff, and equipment (e.g., visitors' passes, sign-in sheets);
• to provide office equipment and supplies, informatics, clerical systems, and photocopying services;
• to provide mail room and messenger services;
• to purchase local supplies;
• to maintain kitchens/eating areas; and
• to maintain financial records and accounts directly related to operations performed by the Government Operations Centre and/or the Federal Coordination Centre.

2.7 The Federal Emergency Response Management System Governance Structure

Image Description

In this organizational flow chart, which primarily flows from top to bottom, there are seven levels, grouped into three areas. From top to bottom, the areas are Senior/Executive Level Direction (four levels), Management (two levels) and Primary Functions (one level).

The Senior/Executive Level Direction area has the first four levels. Starting at the top is Committees of Cabinet connected to the Committee of Deputy Ministers, which is connected to the Federal Coordinating Officer, which is connected to the Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers.

Next, connected just under the Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers, the Management area has two levels starting with the Director General Operations Directorate, which leads to the management team connected below, consisting of, horizontally, Primary Departmental Representatives, the Department of Justice, Directors of Primary Functions and the Director General, Communications Directorate (Privy Council Office participation).

The Primary Functions area, connected below the management team, has one level. Horizontally, these include operations, situational awareness (Privy Council Office participation), risk assessment (Privy Council Office participation), planning, logistics and finance and administration.

The Government Operations Centre is a fourth area comprised of both Management and Primary Functions.

2.8 Federal-Regional Component

Public Safety Canada maintains a network of 11 Emergency Management and National Security Regional Offices. These offices are located in:

• Yellowknife/Northwest Territories - Nunavut and Yukon;
• Vancouver/British Colombia;
• Edmonton/Alberta;
• Regina/Saskatchewan;
• Winnipeg/Manitoba;
• Toronto/Ontario;
• Montréal/Quebec;
• Fredericton/New Brunswick;
• Charlottetown/Prince Edward Island;
• Dartmouth/Nova Scotia; and
• St. John's/Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Federal departments frequently manage emergencies or provide support to a province or territory for events related to their specific mandate, within their own authorities and without requiring coordination from Public Safety Canada. However, provincial/territorial representatives share pertinent information with the Government Operations Centre and the Federal Coordination Centre in order to maintain situational awareness.

When an emergency requires an integrated Government of Canada response, the Public Safety Canada Regional Director (Regional Director) coordinates the response on behalf of federal government institutions in the region. This is also known as the "single window" concept. It is intended to facilitate interdepartmental and intergovernmental coordination, without unduly restricting operations. This concept does not exclude or discourage interactions between supporting federal departments and supported provincial/territorial ministries. However, the supporting federal department and the Regional Director keep each other informed of these activities.

Regional public communications activities are consistent and integrated with the response activities of the Government of Canada. These communications activities are coordinated under the authority of the Director General, Communications, Public Safety Canada, in consultation with the Privy Council Office.

2.8.1 Regional Organization, Roles and Responsibilities

2.9 The Regional Emergency Response Management System Governance Structure

Image Description

In this organizational flow chart, which primarily flows from top to bottom, there are six levels, grouped into three areas. From top to bottom, the areas are FERP Strategic Level Direction (two levels), Regional Senior/Executive Level Direction (one level) and Operational Level (three levels).

The FERP Strategic Level Direction area has the first two levels.  Starting at the top is the FERP Governance, which is connected to the Government Operations Centre.

Within the Regional Senior/Executive Level Direction, there is one level that splits and comes back together horizontally.  Connected just under the Government Operations Centre is the Public Safety Canada Regional Director, which, to the right, connects to both the Federal Coordination Steering Committee and the Federal Coordination Group; both of which are connected, to the right, to the Primary/Supporting Federal Departments.

The Operational Level area, connected to the Public Safety Canada Regional Director, has the last three levels, which are the Public Safety Canada Regional Offices/Federal Coordination Centre connected to the Federal Liaison Officer, which is then connected to the Provincial/Territorial Emergency Operations Centre at the bottom.

Section 3 - Financial Management

Financial management, as it applies to the FERP, follows the established Treasury Board guidelines on expenditures in emergency situations. Under these guidelines, Ministers are accountable to the central financial departments and to Parliament for the emergency-related expenditures of their respective departments, crown corporations, or other government institutions.

Departmental responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• each department must track, document, and compile the costs related to emergency response and recovery;
• each department must work within the Government of Canada procurement system to procure additional resources;
• funding for assistance is in accordance with departmental policies on the provision of services;
• departments are responsible for any incremental costs associated with enhancing their preparedness levels and for costs associated with providing resources to provinces/territories;
• each department that provides resources must review with Treasury Board any additional or alternative sources of funding for assistance in excess of the department's normal capacity; and
• departments that operate on a cost recovery basis for services provided to provinces/territories and/or other departments must identify the costs and terms and conditions for the provision of services in advance.

The costs of support actions in each department will be funded on an interim basis by reallocations from, or commitments against, available program resources. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) will not fund such expenditures on an interim basis. Each department must provide the necessary funds to pay the costs of their support actions, when payment is due. Each department should be prepared to initiate separate expenditure records and, if necessary, control system modifications, immediately upon receipt of information that an emergency has occurred and that it will likely be involved. These records must be supported by detailed operational logs, and they must be co-ordinated between headquarters and regions. Departments may seek to recover these extraordinary costs through the process described in the Treasury Board guidelines referenced above.

Section 4 - Plan Maintenance

4.1 General Maintenance

The Operations Directorate manages and maintains the FERP. The Operations Directorate will maintain the FERP and its components as an evergreen document. The FERP will be formally reviewed based on lessons learned through exercises and actual events, and will be republished annually. This review will include assessing the relevance of existing event-specific plans, developing new event-specific plans as required, and maintaining operational processes consistent with changes to departmental roles and responsibilities.

Annex A - Emergency Support Functions (ESFs)

Purpose

The purpose of this annex is to provide an overview of the Emergency Support Function (ESF) structure as well as the general responsibilities of each of the thirteen (13) primary federal institutions.

Background

ESFs provide the mechanisms for grouping functions most frequently used in providing federal support to provinces and territories or federal-to-federal assistance in response to a request for assistance during an emergency. 

ESFs are allocated to federal government institutions in a manner consistent with their respective mandated areas of responsibility, including policies and legislation, planning assumptions and a concept of operations. In turn, these ESFs are used to augment and support the primary federal government programs, arrangements or other measures to assist provincial/territorial governments and through these governments, to local authorities or to support the Government Operations Centre (GOC) in coordinating the Government of Canada's response to an emergency.

Definition of Primary Department

A primary department is a federal government institution with a mandate directly related to a key element of an emer­gency. One or more federal government institutions may be designated as primary, depending on the nature and scope of the incident. Among other responsibilities further detailed within each ESF, the primary department is responsible for:

• providing staff for emergency response functions at fixed and field facilities;
• notifying and requesting assistance from supporting federal government institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector;
• managing mission assignments and coordinating with support agencies, as well as appropriate provincial and territorial government institutions and with operations centers;
• working with appropriate private-sector organizations to maximize use of all available resources;
• supporting and keeping other primary federal government institutions informed of ESF operational priorities and activities;
• conducting situational and periodic readiness assessments;
• ensuring financial accountability for ESF activities;
• planning for short and long-term emergency response and recovery operations;
• maintaining trained personnel to support interdepartmental emergency response and support teams; and
• identifying new equipment or capabilities required to prevent or respond to new or emerging threats and hazards, or to improve the ability to address existing threats.

Definition of Supporting Department

A supporting department is a federal government institution that provides general or specialized assistance to a primary department in response to an emergency.

Supporting departments are those organizations with specific capabilities or resources which support the primary department in executing the mission of the ESF. When requested by the designated primary department, supporting departments are responsible for executing their supporting responsibilities as outlined in respective ESFs as well as the following, if applicable:

• conducting operations consistent with their own authority and resources;
• participating in planning for short and long-term emergency response and recovery operations as well as the development of supporting operational plans, standard operating procedures (SOPs), checklists, or other job aids, in concert with existing first-responder standards;
• assisting in the conduct of situational assessments;
• furnishing available personnel, equipment, or other resource support as directed by the primary department;
• providing input to periodic readiness assessments;
• maintaining trained personnel to support interdepartmental emergency response and support teams; and
• identifying new equipment or capabilities required to prevent or respond to new or emerging threats and hazards, or to improve the ability to address existing threats.

Scope of Emergency Support Function

ESF #1 – Transportation

Primary Department: Transport Canada (TC)

The scope of this ESF includes:

• relying on existing authorities, if applicable, to restrict movement of regulated transportation conveyances, goods and people or seek voluntary compliance;
• relying on instruments authorized by law, such as exemptions, that lessen regulatory requirements and facilitate/increase the movement of regulated transportation conveyances, goods and people as well as seeking voluntary compliance;
• providing technical emergency response and regulatory advice for transportation of dangerous goods;
• providing transportation sector knowledge in Government of Canada decisions;
• information sharing with partners and industry;
• facilitating clearances and access to restricted areas for emergency personnel;
• making recommendations regarding the usage/availability of civil transportation and/or Transport Canada assets; and
• facilitating temporary provision of facilities, equipment or transportation resources to augment the national transportation network (e.g., post-event grants and contributions, etc).

ESF #2 – Telecommunications

Primary Department: Industry Canada (IC)

The scope of this ESF includes:

• coordinating with the telecommunications industry;
• restoration and expansion of telecommunications infrastructure and services;
• safeguarding and restoration of national telecommunications-related cyber and information technology resources; and
• coordinating of federal actions to provide the required temporary emergency telecommunications and restoration of the affected telecommunications infrastructure.

ESF #3 – Agriculture and Agri-Food

Primary Departments: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)/Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

Both Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, share the role of primary department for ESF #3. The scope of this ESF applies to agriculture and agri-food emergencies clearly falling under a federal mandate or those that exceed a provincial/territorial lead agency's capacity to deal with the situation and when support to the response effort is requested from local, provincial/territorial, federal and/or international stakeholders.

ESF #4 – Energy Production and Distribution

Primary Department: Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

The scope of this ESF includes producing, refining, transporting, generating, transmitting, conserving, repairing/building, distributing, and maintaining energy systems and system components for petroleum products (oil), natural gas, and electricity. In addition, this ESF collects, evaluates, and shares information on energy system damage and estimations on the impact of energy system outages within affected areas. Additionally, ESF #4 provides information and advice concerning the energy restoration process as appropriate

ESF #5 – Public Health and Essential Human Services

Primary Departments: Health Portfolio, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)/Health Canada (HC)

The Federal Health Portfolio (Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Health Canada (HC)), share the role of primary department for ESF #5. This ESF applies to all Government of Canada institutions which may be required to respond to a request from a province/territory for assistance during an emergency which could impact the health of their populations; or from other government departments (particularly those with a duty of care for specific populations such as those departments that make up the Federal Healthcare Partnership). It recognizes that, during an emergency, the Federal Government works with provincial and territorial governments, First Nations and Inuit health authorities, non-governmental organizations, and private health resources in Canada and internationally as required, depending on the nature of the emergency and the request for assistance.

Emergency Health includes: public health, medical care, environmental health, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and health care personnel.

Emergency Social Services includes: clothing, lodging, food, registration and inquiry, personal services, reception centre management and social services personnel.

ESF #6 – Environment

Primary Department: Environment Canada (EC)

This ESF encompasses the provision of environmental information and advice in response to emergencies related to polluting incidents, wildlife disease events or severe weather and other significant hydro-meteorological events. In addition, it applies to all levels of government and non-governmental organizations in Canada and abroad, based on mutual support arrangements with other countries (e.g., the United States of America) and other Government of Canada international assistance policies and programs.

ESF #7 – Human and Social Services

Primary Department: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)

The scope of this ESF encompasses the provision of human and social services and the communication of information in response to emergencies related to the delivery of social benefits. It also addresses HRSDC's support to the Government of Canada requirements in regards to communication with Canadians in affected areas during an emergency.

ESF #8 – Law Enforcement

Primary Department: Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

The scope of this ESF encompasses the coordinated provision of the full range of law enforcement services by the RCMP, and the police services of other jurisdictions, during all-hazard emergency operations. In addition, this ESF coordinates federal actions to support the provision of law enforcement services within impacted regions. This ESF applies to the RCMP, its subordinate regions, divisions and districts/detachments.

ESF #9 – International Coordination

Primary Department: Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT)

This ESF encompasses the conduct of foreign relations, the application of international law, and the coordination of international assistance during an emergency.   

ESF #10 – Government Services

Primary Department: Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)

The intent of this document is to provide a description of how Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) responds to emergencies of a magnitude such that they require federal coordination, as well as to international emergencies, to ensure continued and effective delivery of the department's diverse emergency goods and services, as required, in support to the lead responding department(s).

ESF #11 – Logistics and Operations Management

Primary Department: Public Safety Canada (PS)

The support function is one which demonstrates proactive leadership in assessing problems and scoping potential solutions to coordinate the mobilization and deployment of resources from their points of origin to the intended staging areas. Federal government institutions, provinces/territories, municipal governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, are all considered as viable sources for asset contribution.  This function also includes providing for the final re-deployment of materiel deemed in excess to the response or that is no longer needed during the recovery phase of an emergency.

ESF #12 – Communications

Primary Department: Public Safety Canada (PS)

This support function enables the dissemination of clear, factual, and consistent information about events of national significance and assisting, when possible, to minimize the threat to Canadians most likely affected by the event. The ESF#12 is also the framework for Government of Canada institutions to share relevant communications information and to work collaboratively to achieve integrated and effective emergency communications. This includes coordinating federal and provincial/territorial communications activities and developing a harmonized federal and "Whole of Government" communications response to an emergency of national significance.

ESF #13 – Border Services

Primary Department: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)

The scope of this ESF applies to federal government institutions, provincial and territorial

departments and agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private/public law enforcement, security, and search and rescue resources in Canada and internationally, which may be required to respond to a request for local, provincial/ territorial, federal and/or international assistance at or near an international border crossing within Canada, or affecting cross-border movement of people and goods during and following an emergency.

Emergency Support Function Maintenance Process

The ESF primary department should coordinate a regular review of their respective ESF with all supporting departments. Additional reviews may be conducted if experience with a significant incident, exercise or regulatory changes indicate a requirement to do so. Recommended changes will be submitted through the primary department to respective senior management for approval. Upon completion of the review process, primary departments will provide Public Safety Canada, Plans and Logistics Division with their updated ESF as per established timelines.

Annex B - documentation for senior management

Annex B - Appendix 1 - Notification

Annex B - Appendix 2 - Situation Report

Annex B - Appendix 3 - Decision Brief

Annex B - Appendix 4 - Planning Guidance Form

Annex B - Appendix 5 - Incident Action Plan Task Matrix

Annex B - Appendix 1 - Notification

Notification - Incident

Notification - Incident Number: NTXXX-09 (allocated by the GOC)

Description of incident: Description of the incident only.

Source (s) of reporting: List all sources of reporting

Current actions:

• Who is doing what about this incident?
• Department/Agency X is the primary federal department for this incident, including public communications (if correct) until otherwise advised.
• Department/Agency X is the supporting department for this incident (if applicable).
• Department/Agency X is the primary provincial/territorial ministry (department) for this incident, including public communications (if correct) until otherwise advised. (Assumes there is a regional or local lead)

Initial analysis/assessment: 

• What does this incident mean?
• Where do we think it is going?
• Could this draw media attention or has it already?

Additional Products: Geomatics and other products will be attached to a follow-on message. Users of the GOC's Canadian Common Operating Environment tool can view the additional products immediately.

Notification issued by:

Government Operations Centre

Annex B - Appendix 2 - Situation Report

Situation Report

Incident Number: STXXX-09 add A,B,C… (allocated by the GOC)

Incident: Brief description of the incident

Date: Information valid as of dd mmm 2009, XX:XX hours (EDT/EST)

Description of current incident:

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why

Source(s) of reporting:  Note original source of reporting and any new sources of reporting

Current actions in response:  What is being done to respond to this incident?

• Department/Agency X is the primary federal department for this incident, including public communications (if correct) until otherwise advised.
• Department/Agency X is the supporting department for this incident (if applicable).
• Department/Agency X is the primary provincial/territorial ministry (department) for this incident, including public communications (if correct) until otherwise advised. (Assumes there is a regional or local lead)

Future actions: If nothing to report, then indicate “nil to report”, however detail whatever actions will occur in the future to respond to this incident.

Assessment/Analysis: The "so what" portion of the SITREP. Any major issues should also be highlighted here.

Additional notifications: No further situation reports will be issued unless significant developments occur. Either note that notification is same as initial distribution, or note the addition of any extra entities notified.

Also, indicate here if information has been brought to the attention of senior management and if so, specifically who (Director GOC, DG Ops, SADM, DM etc…)

Additional Products: Geomatics and other products will be attached to a follow-on message.  Users of the GOC's Canadian Common Operating Environment tool can view the additional products immediately.

Issued by:

Government Operations Centre

Annex B - Appendix 3 - Decision Brief

Decision Brief

TITLE

(title = name of the incident taking place i.e. Ice Storm, London Bombing, Hurricane Katrina – delete)

Incident:

This should be a brief paragraph or list of bulleted items describing the incident. The information in this section should be concise and significant to the incident. Include all relevant geographic references and the date and time the incident occurred. Ensure that standard or daylight savings time is correct. Format the time for the Eastern time zone, not the time zone of the incident location, indicating (EST) next to the time. Information in this section should be consistent with information in previously issued Notifications and/or Situation Reports, if any have been issued for this incident. (You may use the information located in the "description of incident" field of a Situation Report for this section).

Background:

This section will provide explanatory information on the incident taking place.

Current status:

The status will include a summary of situational awareness information (what is the situation now?), known/potential impacts, relevant threat information, identification of vulnerabilities, a summary of the situation as known now; including extent of damage, (human impact, geographical impact area) and aggravating factors (i.e. weather, CI implications, availability of critical resources).

Current actions:

Describe what actions are being executed at the present time:

• By federal/provincial/territorial/municipal governments and private sector levels
• Notifications and/or Warnings or Alerts issued
• Outline key actions/decisions being coordinated by federal dept's
• Involvements/actions being taken by the Planning/Policy Groups (i.e. strategic action plan being developed, policy issues being addressed)

Analysis/Assessment:

Provide brief analysis/assessment information specific to the incident for the following areas:

• Monetary costs
• Impact on Federal-Provincial/territorial Relations
• Potential deterioration of the incident
• Public confidence (media coverage)

Potential course(s) of action:

This section includes the description of each course of action that could be taken to respond to the situation at hand. (number of options as required)

• Option A: (description)
• Option B: (description)
• Option C: (description)

Prepared by:

Public Safety Canada

Operations Directorate

Situation Awareness and Risk Assessment

Annex B - Appendix 4 - Planning Guidance Form

Event/Emergency: (insert title/event id)
Date: (insert date)

Director Gerneral (Operations Directorate) Guidance to Planners

In contingency planning, and event is scheduled (for example, Olympic Games) or is forecasted to occur at some point in the future (for example, West Coast catastrophic earthquake).  At some point, a decision is made to initiate Operations directorate planning.  The Director General, Operations directorate should be in a position to provide planning guidance in order to properly focus limited resources.  This information will come from the Situational Awareness and Risk Assessment (SARA) division that will have collated and analyzed all information that has come to the Government Operations Centre (GOC) from federal departments/agencies, provincial/territorial governments close to the issue, non-government organizations and private industry.

In action planning, an unforeseen event emerges and SARA (the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) if pertinent) quickly mobilizes to build the operational picture that will provide the information needed by the Director General (DG) to initiate the work of the planners.

In either case, the planners' information needs are the same.  The planning guidance should include the following elements:

• The scenario of events that the DG foresees (developed by SARA) may receive higher level approval if the gravity and forecasted resources bill so requires
• The general intent of the federal government under those circumstances
• Any limitations and assumptions that can be foreseen at this point
• Latest time for issuing the plan

The planning guidance may be updated as required.

Sample scenario: Canada has been awarded the responsibility to mount the 2XXX Commonwealth Games.  The Integrated Threat Assessment Committee (ITAC) assesses that there is a credible though limited and unspecified terrorist threat.  SARA's impact analysis and risk assessment concludes that the hierarchy of risks to the Games from moderate to low is:

• Cyber attacks on websites related to the Games
• Conventional sabotage of the power grid that supports the Games
• Use of Improvised Devices, especially where people will mass
• Use of small chemical devices in enclosed spaces

Annex B - Appendix 5 - Incident Action Plan Task Matrix

Security Classification: [Specify here when matrix is stand alone] Incident Action Task Matrix

Incident ID (or name other)  (issued by the GOC)
Action Plan #: XX created on (DD/MM/YYYY)
Incident:  (name/title)
Operational Period: (HH:HH)-(HH:HH) (DD/MM/YYYY)

Note: A new table will be created for every objective/issue. Be sure to include the incident ID (or some identifier of the incident that will be searchable in E-Team) on each Action Plan Matrix so it will be linked to other tables pertaining to this incident.

The Planning Function establishes objectives and develops an Incident Action Plan for each operational period. It uses an Incident Action Plan Matrix to track completed tasks and objectives. The Incident Action Plan Task Matrix lists the actions which the Government of Canada must undertake during emergency response in order to achieve the objectives set by the management team.

Annex C - Related Reference Documents

The following reference documents pertain to FERP:

Policies

• Canada's National Security Policy
• Communications Policy of the Government of Canada
• Federal Policy for Emergency Management
• Policy on Government Security

Departmental Plans

• Food and Agriculture Emergency Response System
• Health Portfolio Emergency Response Plan
• Indian and Northern Affairs Canada National Emergency Management Plan

Event-Specific Plans

• Canada-United States Joint Inland Pollution Contingency Plan
• Canada-United States Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan
• Canada-United States Joint Radiological Emergency Response Plan
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency Template for a Foreign Animal Disease Emergency Support Plan
• Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan for the Health Sector
• Concept of Operations for the Provision of Federal Support to Provinces and Territories in the Event of a CBRN Incident    
• Counter-Terrorism Consequence Management Arrangements
• Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan
• Flood Action Plan for British Columbia
• Government of Canada Atlantic Hurricane Contingency Plan
• Guidelines for Space Objects Entry
• Maritime Security Strategy
• National Counter Terrorism Plan    
• National Earthquake Support Plan for British Columbia
• Ontario Electricity Emergency Plan
• Strategic HUSAR Contingency Plan for the Government of Canada
• Wildland/Urban Interface Fires Contingency Plan

Miscellaneous

• Emergency Management Planning Guide

Annex D - Glossary of Terms and Definitions

All hazards
All-hazard risk approach is an approach that recognizes that the actions required to mitigate the effects of emergencies are essentially the same, irrespective of the nature of the event, thereby permitting an optimization of scarce planning, response and support resources. The intention of all-hazards generic emergency planning is to employ generic methodologies, modified as necessary by particular circumstances.

All-hazards incorporates natural and man-made hazards threats including traditional emergency management events such as flooding and industrial accidents, as well as national security events such as acts of terrorism, and cyber events.

Assumption
A supposition about a current or a future situation accepted as true despite a lack of evidence.

Coordinate
Bring (parts, movements, etc) into proper relation, cause to function together or in proper order (Source: Oxford Dictionary).

Coordinating department
Public Safety Canada is the federal coordinating department based on the legislated responsibility of the Minister of Public Safety under the Emergency Management Act. As such, Public Safety Canada is responsible for engaging relevant federal departments in an integrated Government of Canada response to an emergency.

Department
"Department" as it is used throughout FERP refers to federal departments and agencies.

Emergency
A present or imminent incident requiring the prompt coordination of actions, persons or property in order to protect the health, safety or welfare of people, or to limit damage to property or to the environment. (Source: An Emergency Management Framework for Canada)

Emergency management plan
A program, arrangement or other measure for dealing with an emergency by the civil population, or for dealing with a civil emergency by the Canadian Forces in accordance with the National Defence Act. (Source: Emergency Management Act)

Emergency support function
Emergency support functions are emergency response actions in support of the needs that are anticipated to arise prior to or during an emergency.

Emergency Operations Centre
A designated facility established by an agency or jurisdiction to coordinate the overall agency or jurisdictional response and support to an emergency.

Federal Coordinating Officer
The Deputy Minister, Public Safety (or delegate) serves as the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) on behalf of the Minister of Public Safety. The FCO is responsible for the overall coordination of a federal emergency response.

Incident Command System
A standardized on-scene emergency-management concept specifically designed to allow its user(s) to adopt an integrated organizational structure equal to the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries. (Source: Justice Institute of BC, on ICS)

Integrated Government of Canada response
Involved departments have unity of purpose and contribute to the federal response process by mutually determining overall objectives, contributing to joint plans, and maximizing the use of all available resources. 

Management by objectives
This is one of the principles of the Incident Command System. Personnel agree to the objectives and understand their overall direction.

National Interest
Concerns the defence and maintenance of the social, political and economic stability of Canada.
(Source: Policy on Government Security)

National policy direction
Refers to senior officials or ministerial incident-specific policy direction.

Non-governmental organization
A non-profit organization is based on the interests of its members (i.e., individuals or institutions). It is not created by a government, but it may work cooperatively with government. Such organizations serve a public purpose, not a private benefit. Examples of non-governmental organizations include faith-based charity organizations and the Canadian Red Cross.

Operational period
An operational period is a length of time set by the Federal Coordinating Officer with input from the FERMS Management Team to achieve a given set of objectives. The length of the operational period may vary and is determined by the emergency. An operational period is usually 8–12 hours. (Source: Justice Institute of BC, on ICS)

Planning guidance
The Director General, Operations Directorate uses the planning guidance form to instruct planners during an emergency.

Primary department
A federal department with the legislated mandate related to a key element of an emergency. Depending on the nature of the emergency, there may be multiple primary departments.

Private sector
Organizations that are not part of any governmental structure, including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, formal and informal structures, commerce, industry, private emergency response organizations, and private voluntary organizations.

Primary departmental representative
Primary departmental representatives are part of the management team and provide input on the support needs of their home department during an emergency.

Situational awareness
The continual process of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence, information, and knowledge. This process allows organizations and individuals to anticipate requirements and to respond effectively.

Subject-matter experts
Subject Matter Experts provide expertise in a specific technological area or aspect of the response.

Supporting departments
Supporting departments are federal departments that provide general or specialized assistance to a primary department during an emergency.

Threat
The presence of a hazard and an exposure pathway; threats may be natural or human-induced, either accidental or intentional. (Source: EM Framework for Canada).

Date modified:

2022-07-29