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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Don McClean, Fire Chief |
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PREPARED BY: |
Shayne Mintz, Deputy Fire Chief |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
February 9, 2004 |
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SUBJECT: |
August 14, 2003 Blackout Report |
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RECOMMENDATION:
THAT council receive this report for
information.
AND that Council approve additional funding of
$20,000 through the 2004 budget process for the purpose of Emergency Management
in Markham.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to provide
Council with a description of events arising from the major blackout that
occurred on August 14, 2003, and to identify areas for improvement in the
Town’s operations in order to adequately handle an event of this nature in
future.
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY:
In August of 2003, the Town of Markham was
struck with a widespread blackout that affected the continental northeast.
For the most part the Town’s employees
responded well to the power outage. There are also some areas for improvement
that have been identified as a result of that event.
BACKGROUND:
On August 14, 2003 at approximately 4:15 PM
EST, Markham was struck with a widespread power outage that spread across
Ontario, New York State, Ohio and parts of Michigan and Pennsylvania.
At that time the extent of the power outage was
unknown and as it occurred at the end of the business day most staff were sent
home. Fire Department and other Senior Town staff gathered at Fire Station 95
to monitor the situation, assess the extent of the problem and devise a
strategy to maintain public safety and protection. Arrangements were made for
additional water supplies through the Operations and Asset Management
Department. One crew of firefighters was held back from going off duty
providing an additional response crew. Corporate Communications created a
temporary call centre lending support to Information Markham.
The effect of the power outage meant disruption
to business operations and a general loss of communications capabilities within
the Civic Centre and throughout the Town. Traffic congestion was a significant
issue due to traffic signal disruptions.
At approximately 3:30 AM the following day power was restored to the
majority of Markham. However, after power was re-established the power grid was
not operating at full capacity and still in a fragile state. There was a
continued threat of rolling blackouts as more communities were brought back
onto the power grid.
Calls for the Fire and Emergency Services
throughout the blackout period spiked by 400% over normal call volumes for that
period. In total the Fire Services responded to 160 calls for help between 4:00
PM Thursday and 8:00 AM Sunday. The Fire/Police Services radio communications
system had operational fluctuations in the early morning of August 15; however
full service was restored by 7:00AM.
On
the morning of Friday August 15, staff opened an Emergency Operations Centre in
the Canada Room. The Call-Centre was in full operation and handled 694 calls
with respect to both the emergency and Town services. All telephone systems
throughout the Town were still not fully operational. Cellular telephone
operations were intermittent, and pager service was non-existent for approximately
four days. Most telephone systems were back in operation by Saturday. The ITS
Department worked throughout the weekend maintaining computer systems and
communications networks. Also, low water supplies to portions of Markham were causing a potential
threat to public safety and health.
There was a major concern that if the power outage continued many
services and businesses would lose telephone systems and stored data once the
UPS systems (battery backup) ran out.
Due to low water reserves, a water emergency
was declared and conservation measures were implemented to allow water levels
to stabilize by Friday evening. The threat of public safety was that (1) there
would not be adequate water supply for firefighting; (2) that if the water
levels dropped too far, the reservoir system would be subject to contamination
due to backflow; and (3) that stagnant water in the distribution system could
cause problems.
Corporate Communications developed messages on
the water ban, power outage and conservation tips and faxed them to all media
and special interest groups. Message boards at various Town facilities were
also used to publicize the messages. In conjunction with the ITS Department the
Town’s main phone greeting was continually updated throughout Friday and the
weekend to advise callers of pertinent information as it became available.
Broadcast voice
messages and e-mails were sent to inform staff
of the situation. The Town web site had 86,176 hits over the weekend. The Town
of Markham page of the Economist and Sun newspaper was also used as a forum to
communicate public service announcements regarding the blackout, the ensuing
water emergency and threat of rolling blackouts.
Vehicles with public address systems were
dispatched to target communities advising residents of the water emergency and
requested citizens to refrain from non-essential water use. Parking and by-law
enforcement officers were deployed to advise businesses and residents of the
water emergency.
Water levels continued to improve throughout the
weekend bringing them to acceptable levels by Sunday August 17. The
conservation measures were continued, as the threat of rolling blackouts could
have resulted in water shortages reoccurring.
August 15 was a regular collection day for
Waste Management and there was no interruption in service.
Over the weekend Town facilities were closed
and all programs cancelled, except for those essential to health and safety.
Services were reinstated on the following Monday, August 18, with efforts being
made to conserve energy. The continued threat of rolling blackouts resulted in
all town facilities lowering lighting, and decreasing or eliminating
non-essential utilities such as air conditioning.
Markham
staff also continued all public swim programs as well as operating the various
splash pads throughout the town. Further arrangements were made to open three
community centres as ‘Cooling Centres’ if further power interruptions occurred.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
What went well?
For the most part Town staff responded well to
the challenge of the blackout, the water shortage emergency and threat of
rolling blackouts. A core group of staff worked throughout the night to ensure
that the Town continued to operate safely.
Contingencies were set-up for every possible scenario. Public Address systems on Operations
vehicles were used to ensure an effective, reliable, direct and immediate
communications means to the public.
CAO John Livey worked from Fire Station 95 to
oversee the operation. Fuel supplies
were secured and shared with desperate facilities such as Woodhaven Nursing
Home. Contact was maintained with York
Region and the Provincial operations centres.
A communication plan was developed and
stakeholders were kept informed throughout the night.
Staff kept Town functions working and also
helped others where possible. There
were dozens of citizens who ran out of fuel on the long drive home and staff
refuelled them with a few gallons to get them safely home. Others were given advice on what to do and
many citizens commented that they felt secure due to the presence of Town staff
in their areas and on the roads.
What are areas for improvement?
Back-Up Power Capability In The Emergency
Operations Centre – It is vital that an
Emergency Operations Centre have a robust power supply as well as back-up power
generation capabilities. Lack of power and back-up power in the Civic Centre
required senior town staff to move the Emergency Operations Centre to Fire
Station 95 after the blackout occurred. Staff is currently trying to make
arrangements with Markham District Energy to have a direct power supply from
their grid. While it is yet to be confirmed this option may be capable of
providing the Civic Centre with a more reliable power supply.
Civic Centre rooms are not ideal for Emergency
Operations Centre use – It was identified in post
Blackout debriefings that Civic Centre Rooms, specifically the Canada Room may
not be not ideal for use as an Emergency Operations Centre.
Desirable to have Emergency Operations Centre
in Close Proximity to Fire Communications Centre –
During the blackout Senior Town staff found it to be very beneficial to be
close to the Fire Communications Centre. In addition to the comfort of having a
more reliable communications system, a back-up generator also protects the
Centre. However, as Station 95 is a fully staffed fire station, the current
configuration is too small to use as an Emergency Operations Centre over a
sustained period of time. If the power outage lasted for a longer duration, it
is unlikely these facilities would have properly met the needs of the
management team.
ITS Requires off-site Fault Tolerant Data
Centre – As a result of the black-out the ITS
Department did not have fault tolerant redundant systems or facilities in place
to bring Town operations back to operation until after full power was restored.
The Town would benefit from an off-site fault tolerant ITS system redundancy.
Consideration is being given to resolving this issue through discussions with
ITS.
Various Communications Modes Failed during
Blackout – Some of our communications facilities failed
during the blackout i.e. pagers did not work. Staff is investigating options
for a more robust communications network technology that can operate throughout
a power outage. The ITS Department is currently consulting with the Gartner
Group on industry best practises. In the interim and as a short-term solution,
consideration should be given to the acquisition (either lease or purchase) of
additional communications technology such as satellite telephones or additional
fire service portable radios. Once an opinion is received from consultants,
these devices can be returned to the vendor or redeployed.
Emergency Alerting System Needs Improvement – It has become evident that Town staff should handle the Emergency
Alerting System. The Emergency Plan in place during the blackout had the
Emergency Alerting System being facilitated by the Town’s security service
provider. It became evident that their systems also failed during the blackout
and therefore were of little use to Town staff when it came time to open the
Emergency Operations Centre. Instead
the fan occurred through direct calls to key staff and fire dispatch.
Staff need education and Training on Emergency
Management – While staff response was good to the
emergency, there is an awareness and general consensus that this was a ‘close
call’ that could have been much more serious. Staff have identified a strong
need and desire for training, orientation and familiarization in emergency
management and departmental emergency plans. This training should be consistent
with best practises in emergency management, as well as meet the requirement of
new Emergency Management legislation passed in April of 2003.
Staff need to exercise Emergency Management
scenarios annually – Staff have requested the
opportunity to exercise, practise skills and gain knowledge through Emergency
Management Training. Such exercises would be consistent with best practises in
emergency management as well as meet the requirement of new Emergency
Management legislation passed in April of 2003.
Emergency Management Program Committee to be
created – In compliance with provincial legislation an
Emergency Management Program Committee should be created. Participation on this
committee should include, at a minimum, Managers and preferably Directors.
These individuals will have authority to undertake projects and give direction
to staff to participate in emergency management activities, such as training, developing
department emergency plans and exercising their role in emergency management.
Public Awareness Campaign to continue – The public awareness campaign as recognized by the province, as a
model for other communities to emulate should continue. Additional steps should
also be investigated as to how the program may be improved.
2004 IMPROVEMENT PLAN:
In 2004 staff will undertake the following
initiatives as a follow-up to the August 2003 blackout:
·
examine
what is needed for a fault tolerant power supply and investigate the
possibility and merits of acquiring a direct electrical feed from Markham
District Energy
·
explore
the option of moving the Emergency Operations Centre to a dedicated location
away from the Civic Centre
·
study
the option of combining the Fire Communications Centre with the Emergency
Operations Centre in future
·
look
into establishing a fault tolerant off-site data centre for ITS
Also,
the ITS Department will be requested to report back and identify the most
appropriate Emergency Communications technology based on discussion with
Gartner consultant group. Corporate Communications will be
requested to work with Human Resources to develop a protocol identifying what
staff should do in the event of an emergency, and develop a communications plan
and a training proposal.
The
Emergency Plan will be revised to reflect that the Emergency Alerting System
will be channeled through the Town’s Fire Communications Centre instead of an
outside provider.
Human Resources Department and Deputy Fire Chief
as Community Emergency Management Co-ordinator will develop a training policy
and corporate training plan for staff on the subject of Emergency Management.
Staff identified in the Emergency Plan will be
scheduled to participate in an annual emergency exercise to practise skills and
knowledge of Emergency Management. Such exercises will be done in consultation
with CCC and the Deputy Fire Chief as Community Emergency Management
Coordinator.
In order to accomplish these requirements under
the provincial legislation a minimum of $20,000 in additional annual funding
should be considered in the 2004 Operating Budget discussions in order to
revise the Emergency Plan, update the Town’s Risk analysis and conduct training
and exercises on an annual basis.
FINANCIAL
CONSIDERATIONS:
While a budget has yet to be approved for 2004,
Council agreed in May of 2003 to transfer funds from a Human Resources
Department Account in the amount of $20,000 towards the Emergency Management
Program. This funding was used for Hazard Identification and Risk Analysis
Review, a revised Emergency Plan, a Critical Infrastructure Identification
Process, training, and communications plan.
It is expected that this level of additional funding will be required on
an annual basis as a result of the legislated requirements of the Emergency
Readiness Act. Staff request a $20,000
allocation of additional operating funding be considered during the 2004 Budget
discussions.
__________________________________
Shayne Mintz,
Deputy Fire Chief
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Don McClean, Fire Chief |
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Jim Sales, Commissioner of Community &
Fire Services |
Q:\commexec\REPORTS\Fire\Blackout
- Feb04.doc
