After Baker Lake endured a hamlet garage fire that consumed several vehicles and temporarily threw water and sewage services into disarray in January, MLA Simeon Mikkungwak stood in the legislative assembly and emphasized the importance of community emergency plans.
Mikkungwak pointed out that NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 Emergency Measures Act was passed in 2007, but certain sections still havenSA国际影视传媒檛 been brought into force. Community and Government Services (CGS) Minister Lorne Kusugak explained that two communities still lack emergency plans: Pangnirtung and Kugaaruk. He said his department is assisting in the completion of those plans and only then will the Emergency Measures Act be fully in effect.
May 5-11 marked Emergency Preparedness Week nationwide, with this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 theme being SA国际影视传媒淏e Emergency Ready.SA国际影视传媒� It was highlighted in a CGS news release.
Yet in Pangnirtung, which faced a month-long state of emergency in 2015 after the power plant burned to the ground, thereSA国际影视传媒檚 still no sign of an formal emergency plan. Mayor Stevie Komoartok, who was elected in December 2017, referred questions about the issue last week to senior administrative officer Nancy Anilniliak. She only started her job in January and didnSA国际影视传媒檛 know what has prevented a plan from being put in place.
SA国际影视传媒淥bviously there has to be one,SA国际影视传媒� Anilniliak said. SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 getting through many unattended items to be sorted out and this is one of themSA国际影视传媒� itSA国际影视传媒檚 a matter of setting priorities for the hamlet here.SA国际影视传媒�
Kugaaruk, too, has had major emergencies in recent years. Senior administrative officer John Ivey, who has been in that position for more than three years, said he has tracked down the hamletSA国际影视传媒檚 emergency plan on a hard drive but the paper copy is missing. The document was revised in 2013 but, somehow, it was never officially approved by council. Ivey said he has committed to review the plan one more time, update the contact information and will have the document in the hands of the Emergency Measures Organization no later than mid-June.
Jimmy Noble, the GNSA国际影视传媒檚 outgoing director of emergency management, said emergency plans make clear who to notify during an emergency SA国际影视传媒� including a list of contact information SA国际影视传媒� and what each person or groupSA国际影视传媒檚 role would be.
Noble said itSA国际影视传媒檚 each communitySA国际影视传媒檚 responsibility to complete their emergency plans but his office makes attempts to facilitate.
SA国际影视传媒淲e have been into both communities (Pangnirtung and Kugaaruk) to offer assistance with the development of their plans. We have engaged both communities for a week-long training period and gave them templates and organizedSA国际影视传媒� exercises,SA国际影视传媒� Noble stated. SA国际影视传媒淲e have offered training twice to Kugaaruk and three times to Pangnirtung.SA国际影视传媒�
Ivey acknowledged the importance of emergency preparedness. Kugaaruk helped stranded passengers aboard a cruise ship that ran aground last summer and the community suffered a fire that destroyed its school in February 2017. Knowing what to do during that blaze was critical, even though it may have seemed SA国际影视传媒渃haoticSA国际影视传媒� at the time, said Ivey.
SA国际影视传媒淲e all worked throughout the night to try to save the school. An incident of this nature meant that the fire department played the major role; the fire chief directed the firefighting operations; the provided security; the hamlet coordinated getting food and hot drinks for the firefighters, notified CGS in Iqaluit of the situation and constantly checked on residences which were in the direction that the thick smoke was blowing into,SA国际影视传媒� Ivey recalled.
