Introduction
Natural disasters in Canada are becoming more frequent and more severe. For help managing them, a Provincial emergency management agency turned to Juvare’s WebEOC emergency management software solution.
According to the Government of Canada’s National Risk Profile, updated in January 2024, climate change is one of the primary factors driving the increased incidence and severity of natural disasters nationwide, including wildfires, floods, tropical storms, heatwaves, and other hazards. A maritime provincial emergency management agency tasked with managing these emergencies has found a trusted and capable partner in Juvare’s WebEOC emergency management and enterprise continuity platform.
Facing a Tough New Reality
As climate change amplifies the frequency and intensity of natural disasters across Canada, the east coast of Canada has been particularly hard hit. Hurricanes in 2019 and 2022 caused record levels of destruction, while the wildfires in the spring and early summer of 2023 that blanketed much of Canada and the U.S. in smoke were some of the worst in the region’s history.
The agency in charge of managing disasters in the province has the mission “to plan for emergencies throughout the province, coordinate resources during emergencies, and afterwards identify lessons learned and follow up to close any gaps in our response.”, according to the Provincial Director.
The agency has a staff of approximately 25 and maintains a dedicated Provincial Coordination Center (PCC) to track critical incidents and organizing response activities. In the past, the EMO’s provincial co-ordination centre was activated for emergencies an average of once or twice a year but last year it was activated nine times.
The reason we opted for WebEOC is it’s a tested solution. I have colleagues in my position south of the border who use it and like it. It’s proven, it’s trusted, it works. WebEOC allows us to be more efficient and effective during these emergencies.
Moving Forward with WebEOC
In a period of nearly constant disasters, implementing and deploying a new system to its full extent has been a challenge. Nevertheless, the Director says his background in the Coast Guard, his personal experience with the system, and the knowledge of other WebEOC users have assured him that Juvare’s battle-tested preparedness and response platform is the best way forward for the agency.
“We’re well into the implementation and deployment phase,” says the Director. “It’s working well. It really promotes interoperability between us and our partners.”
The agency is moving forward on many fronts to make the most of its investment in WebEOC. The office recently brought in a full-time WebEOC administrator and has developed new custom Boards to address strategic considerations such as stakeholder engagement as well as specific use cases related to the province’s maritime economy. It is also working on ramping up WebEOC training opportunities and exercises and has started to deploy the platform to more of its partners to ensure their ongoing participation and to align the implementation with shared objectives. In addition, the agency anticipates using WebEOC on an everyday basis to support routine operations and enhance service delivery.
“WebEOC is a great system,” says the Director. “We’re looking forward to continuing to enhance it and using it to improve emergency management throughout our Province.”
