HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF SURREY AND CAPITAL REGIONAL DISTRICT

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1 2008 UBCM COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE AWARDS: ENTRY FOR BEST PRACTICES CATEGORY BY THE CITY OF SURREY, B.C. AND THE CAPITAL REGIONAL DISTRICT HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF SURREY AND CAPITAL REGIONAL DISTRICT PROJECT OVERVIEW The City of Surrey began discussions in late 2004 with the Capital Regional District about the potential for a partnership regarding Hazmat response services. The CRD, which governs the Greater Victoria area, has been considering options for improving its Hazmat response capacity for several years. The significant cost of these specialized services, combined with Surrey s Hazmat capability and recognition as a Hazmat leader in B.C., served as the basis for discussions between Surrey and the CRD. Growth in the CRD has amplified the need for a Hazmat rapid response team to address such issues as dangerous fumes and substances, drug labs, earthquakes and terrorism/vandalism issues. Fire departments in the CRD to date have relied primarily on the Provincial Emergency Program for larger Hazmat incidents, but the response in terms of time and performance has not been ideal, and it is widely recognized that the growing Region needs more direct control over Hazmat response. A formal feasibility study conducted in 2004 (HAZRRT the HAZMAT Rapid Response Team of the Capital Regional District, Larry Dawe, Oct. 19, 2004) indicated it would cost the Regional District $1.8 million over three years to set up its own 24-member Hazmat rapid response team. In light of these considerable costs, the Greater Victoria Fire Chiefs Association, on behalf of the CRD, began to investigate a more costeffective method of delivering the desired high-quality Hazmat service to the Region. Discussions began with Surrey, whose specialized and well-equipped Hazmat unit has 60 trained members and offers training throughout the province. It was apparent early in the discussions that the partnership had the hallmarks of a best practice model, in terms of maximizing the use of existing resources, creative service delivery and intergovernmental partnerships. In May 2005, the CRD Board directed its staff to prepare a draft agreement to have Surrey provide Hazmat response services to the CRD s municipalities and electoral areas on a contract basis. The proposed agreement to date includes the following details: At the startup stage, Surrey would develop a plan and response model for the CRD, including providing accredited technician training to a minimum of four CRD firefighters (with ongoing and refresher training), development of an equipment list, purchasing advice, development of a strategic and tactical deployment plan, and development of a unified command structure. 1

2 Surrey would provide 24/7 Hazmat response for CRD incidents of level-two severity. A team of nine technicians would arrive by air, within approximately 90 minutes of being called. The Surrey contingent would stabilize and mitigate the incident but would not be involved in remediation, cleanup and/or disposal. Surrey would maintain its current core of 60 fully trained and certified Hazmat technicians, provide telephone technical advice and conduct an annual training exercise with the CRD s lead firefighters. CRD would cover all equipment, transportation and other costs for the program. A fully equipped trailer, equipped and owned by the CRD would be transported to the incident site prior to the arrival of the Surrey team. Surrey would receive a retainer fee of $50,000 per year and be reimbursed for all costs that are incurred related to CRD incidents, including overtime for backfilled positions in Surrey. The collaboration would provide the CRD with the specialized Hazmat response it requires in a more cost-effective manner than other alternatives, with immediate coverage provided for the area while building Hazmat capacity within the Regional District. CRD crews will initially handle level-one (less severe) Hazmat incidents, and under the direction of Surrey Hazmat specialists will train to take on over time all levels of Hazmat response with a local Hazmat team. Surrey also benefits from the partnership. The program would allow broader use of Surrey s Hazmat capacity including its Hazmat infrastructure and skill-base, and help to defray the costs of maintaining the specialized Hazmat team in Surrey. Additionally, the cooperative model provides additional training experience for members of the Surrey team. BEST PRACTICES CRITERIA #1: IMPROVED EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS AND DEMONSTRATED COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS The proposed Hazmat response agreement between the City of Surrey and the Capital Regional District is a model of creative local government problem-solving. For the CRD, taking advantage of Surrey s existing service and skill-base is considerably more efficient and cost-effective than immediately developing its own specialized Hazmat team. The Surrey-CRD agreement will be operational within months of approval, and would immediately provide the CRD with the highest level of Hazmat protection available. By comparison, it would take the CRD years to develop an in-house Hazmat capacity equivalent to that available from Surrey. 2

3 For Surrey, the arrangement maximizes the use of its specialized Hazmat team and helps defray some of the associated costs. Further, it will help to keep the Surrey Hazmat team members skills sharp, ensuring peak efficacy in both Surrey and the CRD. In these days of tight budgets, such a partnership also makes sound economic sense. The contract arrangement provides the CRD with a cost-effective solution to addressing the significant concern for the safety of the public, emergency responders and the environment related to Hazmat incidents. As mentioned above, the partnership will save the regional district significant costs, with no sacrifice in quality of service. At the same time, it begins the process of building inhouse Hazmat capacity in the CRD. BEST PRACTICES CRITERIA #2: HAVE APPLICABILITY AND TRANSFERABILITY TO OTHER UBCM MEMBERS The proposed Surrey-CRD Hazmat response agreement illustrates the potential benefits of partnerships between different jurisdictions, that provide for cost-savings, greater efficiency and improved service delivery. Local governments must be increasingly vigilant in seeking out creative solutions to meet the public s growing demands for services. Increasing taxes to provide new services is no longer accepted as a viable first option. It is important to look at alternatives that allow the experience and knowledge of one Region to be passed on to other Regions. By mentoring the CRD program through its development, Surrey has ensured the high cost of learning is defrayed and money is spent in the most cost-effective manner possible. The Surrey-CRD Hazmat agreement sets an example for other UBCM members to look beyond their own organizations to consider the existing capacity within other jurisdictions as the basis for solving local service delivery needs. In this case, the cooperative arrangement brings together two different jurisdictions a municipal government and a regional government for the benefit of both parties and their constituents. Programs such as this serve as best practice models that inspire other municipalities to revisit their conventional approaches and raise the bar for local government service delivery. BEST PRACTICES CRITERIA #3: IMPROVE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY AND AWARENESS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT With ever-increasing scrutiny of government actions, accountability and transparency are top priorities for local governments. Programs such as this proposed Hazmat agreement fit these criteria as they demonstrate fiscal responsibility and creativity. Using the traditional approach to service delivery, the CRD would have developed its own Hazmat unit autonomously at great expense to the region s taxpayers. The desire to develop a more accountable solution has resulted in an agreement that will do more 3

4 than provide the CRD with a critical service that will improve safety for emergency responders and the public as well as protect the environment. The sharing of resources and cost savings means taxpayers on both sides of the Strait of Georgia will win. In essence, this approach meets community needs while respecting the taxpayer and honouring the position of trust held by local governments. Its responsible stewardship of public resources is helping to raise the profile of local government in B.C. and to diminish the still-popular notion of governments as slow-tochange, tax-wasting entities whose actions don t reflect today s economic realities. This innovative solution to bringing Hazmat services to the CRD has already received favourable media coverage in both the CRD and Surrey and is expected to continue to draw positive attention in the future. WHY THIS PROJECT DEFINES EXCELLENCE Progressive solutions such as the proposed Surrey-CRD Hazmat agreement serve to enhance the overall quality of local government in British Columbia. It sets an exceptional example for all local governments of the type of accountability and responsible stewardship of public resources that they should be striving for and that the public demands. The word excellence is defined as: The quality or state of being outstanding and superior. In the realm of local government, maximizing the use of existing capacity, improving service delivery to citizens and conserving financial resources represent excellence. These qualities are exemplified by this project. CONCLUSION In times of shrinking budgets and increasing service demands, local governments are compelled to seek new ways to carry out their businesses. The proposed Hazmat response agreement between the City of Surrey and the Capital Regional District is an outstanding example of the benefits to governments, to citizens and to taxpayers that can result from creating partnerships and finding new approaches to solve service delivery problems. This program serves as a best practices model on many fronts: Efficiency: It shares resources and makes use of existing capacity. Effectiveness: It provides a superior and faster solution to a service delivery deficit, capitalizing on existing knowledge and experience to develop a new service in the CRD. Cost-effectiveness: It is expected to save the CRD taxpayers more than $1 million over five years and helps defray the costs of Surrey s specialized Hazmat unit. 4

5 Applicability/transferability: It illustrates the benefits of partnerships and inspires other jurisdictions to find creative solutions to meet service delivery demands. Accountability: It demonstrates the responsible stewardship of public resources. Awareness: Its inventive approach sheds a positive light on local governments and has attracted positive media attention. Excellence: It sets an example of superior accountability and innovation, helping enhance the overall quality of local government in B.C. Ultimately, this proposal shows that creative solutions can be as easy as finding a match between surplus capacity and a service need or, in economic terms, meeting demand with existing capacity. All that is needed is for local governments to embrace new ideas and have a willingness to look beyond their individual organizations in determining how best to meet the needs of their local citizens an approach clearly demonstrated by this proposal. 5