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Important step taken to prepare Auckland

Friday September 8, 2006

Important step taken to prepare Auckland for a major disaster

An important step in preparing the Auckland region for a major disaster has been made with the release of in-depth research conducted earlier this year on behalf of the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group.

The research is the first attempt by any authority in New Zealand to assess the collective regional civil defence abilities of all organisations involved in dealing with a disaster and, as such, leads the way for the rest of the country.

“For the first time, we have a complete and detailed picture of the current state of preparedness of the Auckland region's emergency management organisations as a whole to deal with an extreme situation big enough to impact right across the region,” Group Chairman and Manukau City Councillor Neil Morrison said.

“As expected, the research details in depth the areas for improvement. We began to get a picture of some of these last year during the preparation of our Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan and through exercises like Jaffa 2005. We have a sound base in place and have begun the improvement work, but this study gives us a full picture of what is required.

“Disasters can happen at anytime and, therefore, thorough preparedness is the key to dealing with them. The very nature of disasters is that they are unexpected challenges outside the scope of normal routine.

“This report sets an authoritative benchmark against which we can measure future improvements in the region's civil defence. It gives us a clear framework for developing a more effective and coordinated response to disasters. We now know what we need to do.

“The key theme of the report is that greater resourcing of work at a regional level is required to put in place levels of preparedness more in line with public expectations. We will be calling on all of the organisations involved, particularly the Councils of the Auckland region and potentially the Government, to make this resourcing available.”

The report on the capacity and capability of services to respond to a disaster impacting the Auckland region was conducted by Kestrel Group, a risk and emergency management consultancy.

It will be used to underpin an improvement plan alongside the existing five-year programme of work in the Group's Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan. Some of the improvements suggested are already under way with the Group last week receiving a report on options for a new Emergency Operations Centre.

The Group's Coordinating Executive Group has established a team to examine the report's recommendations in detail and report back in November with a proposed improvement plan.

Research for the report was undertaken between February and August with the cooperation of the region's civil defence partners – emergency services, local authorities, lifeline utilities, government and non-government agencies. Fifty organisations took part in a detailed questionnaire on their collective operational readiness for disaster.

Interviews were held with 26 individuals in senior local government or appointed Group roles. Two workshops were held.

Mr Morrison stressed that the research was intended to be an assessment of collective ability on a regional basis, not of individual organisations or their local readiness.

“The research was commissioned in recognition of the fact that international disasters have demonstrated the complexity of disaster responses, and that many countries and regions are under-prepared. Auckland is learning from international experience and is being proactive in taking a lead in this country.

“There is no easy fix but the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group is tackling the difficult issues head on.”

Mr Morrison said the group hoped the research would achieve informed public discussion about the region's disaster readiness and that everyone would become better educated and better prepared as a result.

“We want the Auckland region to understand that it now has a detailed and up-to-date snapshot of its capability and clarity on where to go from here.”

Six over-arching themes emerged during the assessment, three of which have already been identified in the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan. Needs identified are:

Greater emphasis by individual organisations on ensuring an integrated response capability.
Greater understanding of the impact a major disaster will have on the Auckland region and the resources required.
More work required to ensure consistent and integrated planning and response.
Revisiting the functions of the Group Emergency Operations Centre to determine its best form, location and resourcing for an effective regional response.
Examining the group organisational structure to ensure it provides enough strategic direction for the civil defence emergency management sector in the Auckland region.
National guidance still required in some key areas from the Ministry of Civil Defence and better engagement by some central government agencies.

The recommendations say:

A consolidated assessment of resources should be done.
Likely hazard scenarios should be further developed to enable a better assessment of resource needs.
The coordinated approach to CDEM training and exercises already developed should be continued.
A regional public warning mechanism should be developed.
A concept plan should be developed for the Group Emergency Operations Centre to assess its functions and how best these should be delivered.
Roles, responsibilities and accountabilities need to be clarified at both governance and executive management levels.
The engagement of national welfare agencies (through their regional offices) in civil defence emergency planning should be increased.

Other recommendations recognise the need for critical organisations to be more comprehensively brought within the region's emergency management plans and suggest a series of guidelines, review mechanisms and risk modelling to achieve this. Consistency was also an issue regarding the provision of civil defence and welfare centres across the Group, the sharing of information during a disaster response and the coordination of volunteers.

Contact: Neil Morrison
Chairman
Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (CDEMG)
Tel: 021 115 8559

Overview

The first comprehensive report in New Zealand of a region's collective civil defence capacity and capability is now complete following the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group's decision last year to assess Auckland's preparedness for a major disaster impacting the region.

The report sets a benchmark on current regional civil defence capacity and capability and provides a means against which progress can be measured over time. The key theme of the report is that greater resourcing of work at a regional group level is required to put in place levels of preparedness that are more in line with public expectations.

An in-depth research project involving detailed questionnaires, interviews and workshops was conducted by Kestrel Group Ltd between February and August this year. All civil defence partners – emergency services, local authorities, lifeline utilities, government and non-government agencies – were asked to take part in the survey of their collective operational readiness to prepare for and respond to major emergencies. A total of 50 responded to the surveys; interviews were held with 26 individuals in senior local government or appointed group roles; two workshops were held.

The research was not intended to be a close examination of each individual organisation but was formulated to provide a view of collective operational readiness.

While finding some good building blocks in place, the research highlighted a number of areas requiring improvement in order for organisations to cooperate in effectively managing a regional response to a disaster, in particular issues of resourcing. This outcome was predicted by the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group which regarded the research as vital in its long-term planning for an improved civil defence capacity and capability in the region.

Many shortcomings become apparent during the development last year by the group of its initial five-year Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan.

Backed by authoritative research, the group is now in a strong position to progress its long-term strategy for the region based on an accurate knowledge of organisational preparedness within the range of services needed during a major civil defence emergency.

While accepting that organisations are able to react quickly to localised emergencies, the group operates from the perspective that the region must invest in being thoroughly prepared to look after itself effectively and efficiently if a disaster of the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina or the Boxing Day Tsunami occurs.

While there is already a programme of work in place based on the listed targets and actions in the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group plan, it is clear from the report that more needs to be done. To accomplish this, more resourcing is required.

The group recognises that, despite the significant work being done to raise the region's collective emergency preparedness, there will be a gap between public expectations of service and the capabilities available at any given time. The preparedness of individuals to cope for a short period during a disaster is an important part of the region's, and the nation's, civil defence planning but is not the ambit of this particular report.

The report sets a precedent for other regions in New Zealand which are likely to perceive similar gaps and vulnerabilities within their own regional responses and can draw on the Auckland regional survey as a way forward.

Key methodology concepts
Five expectations formed the basis of the survey and the resultant report:

Appropriate management structures in place
Adequate provision of resources
Ability to respond to and manage the adverse effects of declared emergencies
Implementation of financial procedures
Ability to function to the fullest extent.
Thirteen related key emergency management functions were identified, against which capacity and capability could be assessed:

1. Structures, authorities and responsibilities
2. Capability for co-ordination
3. Training program for emergency response personnel
4. Program of regularly scheduled exercises
5. Processes for managing resources
6. Comprehensive emergency management plans
7. Operational policies and procedures (planning)
8. Logistics arrangements for managing materials, facilities and transportation
9. Reliable communications and warning capability
10. Capability for direction and control
11. Operational policies and procedures (implementation)
12. Finance and administrative procedures
13. Crisis management and business continuity capability

The concept of ‘showstoppers' was introduced to ensure that the particularly vital attributes were given appropriate emphasis based on an analysis of observations from recent disasters and large-scale exercises such as Pacific Wave and Jaffa.

Broad characteristics of unsuccessful responses were:

Avoidable loss of life
Avoidable economic losses
Embarrassed community leaders
Numbers of people expressing uncertainty as to what they should have done.

Process overview
Information for the assessment was collected using five different methods:

Survey (self-assessment/quantitative)
Interviews (qualitative)
Workshops (qualitative)
Review of Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group reports (qualitative)
Experience of consultant team (qualitative).

Results
Expectations, functions and attributes are scored and graphed according to:

Area of significant shortcoming
Area requiring development
Area of adequacy
Area of strength

The highest scoring function is finance and administrative procedures which reflects the body of work undertaken in this area over the past 12 months. The two lowest scoring functions requiring further development are:

Processes for managing resources
Reliable communications and warnings capability.

Key themes

Six over-arching themes have emerged during the assessment, three of which have already been identified in the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan.

There needs to be a greater emphasis by individual organisations on integrating their Civil Defence Emergency Management, Business Continuity Planning and Crisis Management arrangements to ensure an integrated response capability.
There needs to be a greater understanding across all organisations of the impact a major emergency will have on the Auckland region and consequently what resources will be required to respond to and recover from such an event.
While increased efforts have been made to develop regional guidelines for the way training, information and processes are managed across the group, more work is required in this area to ensure consistent and integrated planning and response.
While some good work has begun in developing staff capacity and capability for the Group Emergency Operations Centre, the functions of the centre need revisiting to determine its best form, location and resourcing to ensure an effective regional response to a major emergency.
The group organisational structure is not providing enough strategic direction for the civil defence emergency management sector in the Auckland region. The Group Emergency Management Office needs increased delivery capability to reduce reliance on goodwill from group partner organisations. Alongside this, the group, and particularly the Coordinating Executive Group, need to be examined to ensure they are operating at a strategic, direction-setting level rather than focusing on detailed operational issues.
While the Ministry of Civil Defence is increasingly providing strong direction to the civil defence, national guidance in some key areas is still required. In particularly, there needs to be better engagement by some central government agencies with the Civil Defence Emergency Management Group to ensure more effective planning and response.

Recommendations

Develop guidelines for integrating Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM), Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and crisis management and distribute to Group Partners and other stakeholders.
Introduce a review mechanism which assesses the level of integration of CDEM, BCP and crisis management planning across selected agencies on a regular basis.
Improve the understanding of resource requirements by undertaking risk modelling (hazard consequences assessments).
Undertake a consolidated assessment of Group resource requirements to respond to a regional emergency based on most likely hazard scenario(s) for the region.
Incorporate critical facilities (including lifelines) and the impact of their loss better into Group and local CDEM plans.
Undertake a consolidated assessment of search and rescue needs to respond to a regional emergency based on most likely hazard scenario(s) for the region.
Continue the implementation of a coordinated approach to CDEM training and exercises.
Agree on a consistent approach to the provision of Civil Defence and Welfare Centres across the Group.
Review warnings and activation processes and agree on a regional public warning mechanism.
Develop and implement a consistent approach to the sharing of information between agencies during response.
Agree on a consistent approach to the coordination and use of volunteers within the Group (internal staff and public).
Develop a concept plan for the Group Emergency Operations Centre (GEOC) which:

reassesses the functions required to be carried out by the GEOC,
reassesses how best these functions should be delivered (location and staffing).
Review how key Group response and recovery roles are currently assigned.
Increase the strategic effectiveness of the CDEM Group at both governance (joint committee) and executive management (CEG) levels by clarifying roles, responsibilities and accountabilities.
Increase the profile and delivery capability of the Group EMO by reviewing its functions, staff resources and visibility.
Improve the engagement of national welfare agencies in CDEM planning.
Improve the understanding of when a Group declaration would ‘automatically become a national declaration.'

Assessment of the capacity and capability of the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group to respond to a disaster impacting the Auckland region

KEY POINTS / QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Why commission a report?

Events in 2005 raised the issue of how well prepared the Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group and its partners are to operate a well co-ordinated multi-organisational approach in dealing with a regional disaster. These events included the preparation of a long-term plan and Exercise Jaffa.

The lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans were a major factor. The research was commissioned in recognition that international disasters have demonstrated the complexity of disaster responses, and that many countries and regions are under-prepared.

The intention was to use the research as a benchmark against which to measure improvements.

What was done?

The report on the capacity and capability of the Auckland CDEM Group to respond to a disaster impacting the Auckland region was conducted by Auckland-based Kestrel Group, a risk and emergency management consultancy.

It has been used to reinforce the Group's five-year plan of improvements, some of which are already being implemented.

The research of civil defence partners – emergency services, local authorities, lifeline utilities, Government and non-government agencies – resulted in 50 organisations taking part in a survey of their collective operational readiness for a regional disaster.

Between February and August, these 50 organisations responded to detailed surveys; interviews were held with 26 individuals in senior local government or appointed group roles; and two workshops were held.

The research was an assessment of collective regional ability, not of individual organisations, and does not reflect how agencies respond at a local level.

What is the significance of the report?

For the first time, the Auckland region has a complete and detailed picture of the current state of preparedness of its service organisations as a whole to deal with a disaster. In this regard, Auckland is one of the lead areas internationally to have taken this step.

This was also the first attempt by any authority in New Zealand to assess the regional civil defence abilities of all organisations involved in dealing with disaster relief and, as such, sets a precedent for the rest of the country to follow.

This report sets an authoritative benchmark against which to measure improvements in the region's civil defence. The Auckland CDEM Group now has a clear framework for developing an effective and coordinated response to disasters.

The key theme of the report is that greater resourcing of work at a regional group level is required to put in place levels of preparedness more in line with public expectations.

What needs to be done to improve Auckland region's civil defence?

The Auckland CDEM Group already has a programme of improvements in place from the Group Plan drafted in 2005 and will seek resourcing to accomplish recommendations from the report. A list of the report's recommendations is included below.

Some of the improvements suggested are already under way with the Group last week receiving a report on options for a new Emergency Operations Centre.

The Group's Coordinating Executive Group will establish a team to examine the report's recommendations in detail and report back in November with a proposed improvement plan.

The Group hopes the report will achieve informed public discussion about the region's disaster readiness with the outcome that everyone will become better educated and better prepared as a result.

Six over-arching themes emerged during the assessment, three of which have already been identified in the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan. Needs identified are:

Greater emphasis by individual organisations on ensuring an integrated response capability.
Greater understanding of the impact a major emergency will have on the Auckland region and the resources required.
More work required to ensure consistent and integrated planning and response.
Revisiting the functions of the Group Emergency Operations Centre to determine its best form, location and resourcing for an effective regional response.
Examining the group organisational structure to ensure it provides enough strategic direction for the civil defence emergency management sector in the Auckland region.
National guidance still required in some key areas from the Ministry of Civil Defence and better engagement by some central government agencies.

The recommendations say:

A consolidated assessment of resources should be done.
Likely hazard scenarios should be developed to assess resource needs.
The coordinated approach to CDEM training and exercises should be continued.
A regional public warning mechanism should be developed.
A concept plan should be developed for the Group Emergency Management Centre to assess its functions and how best these should be delivered.
Roles, responsibilities and accountabilities needed to be clarified at both governance and executive management levels
The engagement of national welfare agencies in civil defence emergency planning should be increased.

What will extra resourcing cost the ratepayer?

Additional resourcing may be required once the recommendations have been reviewed and actions proposed. Some of this additional resourcing is likely to have to be funded by Councils and, potentially, the Government.

How well prepared is Auckland region for a disaster right now? What if a major disaster should happen before the improvements are made?

Localised emergencies have always been dealt with by the local organisations which have considerable experience in rapid and effective response.

It is how they collaborate together on a regional basis during a major disaster impacting the entire region that is at issue in the report. It should be noted that the last time a major disaster of the extreme type like Hurricane Katrina hit New Zealand was the 1931 Napier Earthquake.

Already organisations are better prepared because of becoming involved in the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group set up in 2003 and the joint exercises that have been conducted. Exercise Pacific Wave in May 2006 demonstrated that the Group can function in response to an emergency but that there is room for improvement.

These exercises and the 2006 report mean the Group and its partner organisations are now fully aware of which areas need improvement and that awareness alone is a significant factor that would influence the joint response in a major disaster.

How have organisations responded to the report?

The report has been welcomed by the seven territorial local authorities, the Auckland Regional Council, and emergency services who made up the Auckland CDEM Group ‘family” as an authoritative benchmark to measure improvements against.

Who is the Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group?

The Auckland Region CDEM Group was set up as a requirement of the Civil Defence and Emergency Management Act which became law on 1 December, 2002 and is based on regional boundaries.

It is made up of a committee of elected representatives from the seven territorial councils and the regional council. The Police, Fire Service, Public Health Service, St John (on behalf of the District Health Boards), the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, and Waikato and Northland CDEM Groups are observers/advisors on the committee.

The Group is supported by a Coordinating Executive Group with senior members of each territorial council, regional council, Police, Fire Service, Auckland's three district health boards, public health service and St John, as well as a representative of lifeline utility organisations.

Delivery of civil defence and emergency management is through the CDEM Group partners and other stakeholders.

CDEM Group Partners

The region's councils:

Auckland Regional Council, Auckland City Council, Franklin District Council, Manukau City Council, North Shore City Council, Papakura District Council, Rodney District Council, Waitakere City Council

Emergency Services:

Police, Fire Service, St John, Counties/Manukau District Health Board, Auckland District Health Board, Waitemata District Health Board, Auckland Regional Public Health Service and the Auckland Engineering Lifelines Group (AELG) which includes territorial authorities, major utility and transportation sector organisations.

Contact: Neil Morrison
Chairman
Auckland Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (CDEMG)
Tel: 021 115 8559 Email: www.auckland.cdemg.org.nz/about.htm