Emergency Preparedness Planning

Wawanesa Climate Champions and the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER)

Why Emergency Preparedness Matters

  • Protects lives, homes, and critical community infrastructure.
  • Builds confidence and readiness for wildfires, floods, extreme heat/cold, and winter storms.
  • Reduces recovery time and cost after emergencies by planning ahead of time.
  • Strengthens community sovereignty through Indigenous-led decision‑making and local capacity.

“Preparedness saves lives—and it starts with clear roles, simple actions, and practicing together.”

Our Approach: Two‑Eyed Seeing in Action

The Wawanesa Climate Champions and CIER partnership supports First Nations in turning knowledge into action using a Two‑Eyed Seeing framework—braiding Indigenous knowledge with Western Emergency Management and FireSmart best practices.

  • Listen & Learn – Elders, leadership, departments, and youth share priorities and lived experience.
  • Assess & Map – Identify local hazards (wildfire, flood, extreme weather), vulnerable people/places, and critical routes.
  • Plan & Prepare – Develop community‑specific emergency roles, alerts, and checklists (household → department → leadership).
  • Practice & Improve – Drills, workshops, and after‑action learning.
  • Implement & Share – Turn plans into daily practice; create simple visuals, posters, and how‑to guides for households.

What We’ve Done So Far

  • Community Workshops: A series of sessions with leadership and departments to align roles, hazards, and next steps (most recent virtual workshop: October 2, 2025).
  • Questionnaire & Results Sharing: Rapid assessment of readiness, equipment, routes, and communications; findings shared back to leadership to support action.
  • FireSmart Awareness: Practical steps for structure protection, defensible space, and fuel reduction around homes and community buildings.
  • Department Coordination: Clarified responsibilities and mutual aid for Public Works, Health, Lands, and Fire/Prevention teams.
  • Youth Guardian Engagement: On‑ramps for youth training in emergency response, monitoring, and community outreach.

Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation

Work is aligned with the Water Resiliency Master Plan (WRMP) to embed preparedness into everyday decision‑making—linking wildfire, flood, and water security with clear community roles.

Why Emergency Preparedness Matters (at a glance)

  • Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (HIRA) Overview – Local wildfire, flood, extreme heat/cold, wind events.
  • Roles & Responsibilities – Chief & Council, Emergency Management Officer lead, departments, mutual aid, and community volunteers.
  • Alerts & Communications – How alerts are issued; plain‑language templates; radio, SMS, social media, door‑to‑door protocols.
  • Evacuation & Sheltering – Triggers, routes, transport support, reception centres, family reunification, pet plans.
  • Priority Sites – Schools, health centres, Elders’ residences, water/sewer, fuel, power, and data hubs.
  • Training & Exercises – Annual calendar, tabletop drills, and cross‑department practice.
  • After‑Action Learning – Quick reviews, lessons‑learned posters, and plan updates.

What First Nations Can Do Right Now

  • Build a 72‑Hour “Go‑Bag.” ID, meds, water, snacks, phone charger, flashlight, batteries, small radio, toiletries, seasonal clothing.
  • Create a Family Plan. Who calls whom, where to meet, how to help Elders/children/people with disabilities.
  • FireSmart Your Home. Clear debris within 1.5 m of buildings; trim branches; store firewood away; clean gutters.
  • Know Your Alerts & Routes. Learn local alert channels and primary/secondary evacuation routes.
  • Practice. Run a 10‑minute drill twice a year.
    “If we had to leave in 10 minutes, what would we do?”

What First Nations Can Do Next?

  • Assign an Emergency Management Officer Lead & Alternates; confirm Incident Command System (ICS) style roles for operations, logistics, planning, and communications.
  • Maintain an Asset List (vehicles, pumps, radios, generators, PPE) and service schedule.
  • Update Contact Trees and mutual‑aid agreements; set call‑out protocols.
  • Map Priority Sites & Routes (including winter and high‑water alternates).
  • Schedule Drills with Public Works, Health, Lands/Resources, Fire/Prevention, and administration.
  • Create Plain‑Language Standard Operating Procedure (SOP’s) and posters for common scenarios (wildfire smoke, boil‑water advisories, power outages, road washouts).

Youth Guardians & Community Leadership

  • Youth roles in outreach, monitoring, and first‑aid basics build capacity for future careers.
  • Elder guidance ensures protocols respect culture, medicines, and important places.
  • Community leadership connects preparedness with ongoing projects in the community.

How to Get Involved

  • Leaders & Departments: Tabletop exercise to review department roles, evacuation routes, and communication protocols or SOP review.
  • Households: Pick one action this week—start your Go‑Bag or clear your 1.5 m zone.
  • Youth: Ask about Guardian training opportunities. Participate in hands-on learning like FireSmart home assessments, flood-response mapping, Participate in hands-on learning like FireSmart home assessments.

Resources

Acknowledgement: This work is supported by Wawanesa through the Climate Champions initiative and delivered by CIER in partnership with participating First Nations.

CIER & Wawanesa Climate Champions: Indigenous‑led climate resilience support and learning.

  • The collaboration between CIER and Wawanesa Climate Champions is a testament to the power of Indigenous-led decision-making and local capacity in addressing climate change. This partnership supports First Nations in turning knowledge into action using a Two-Eyed Seeing framework, which integrates Indigenous knowledge with Western Emergency Management and FireSmart best practices. 
  • The Emergency Preparedness Planning and Wildfire Risk in Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation initiative aims to strengthen community sovereignty and resilience through practical steps such as identifying local hazards, developing community-specific emergency roles, and practicing drills and workshops.  This support is part of a broader effort to enhance community resilience against the impacts of climate change, ensuring that communities can protect lives, homes, and critical infrastructure. Through these initiatives, Wawanesa Climate Champions and CIER are working to create a more sustainable and resilient future for Indigenous communities and the broader Canadian population.

For more information on Emergency Preparedness Planning: Contact Thomas at [email protected]