COVID-19 and Disaster Management Leadership

For a successful response to COVID-19, leaders need to assess information and make well though-out and quick decisions.

All Hazards Coaching by Hazardscape helps leaders understand:

• Who they are

• How others see them, and

• How they lead and work with others

With an understanding that goes to the “why” of their relationships, they can contribute more effectively to their teams and exponentially improve performance.

In order to manage COVID-19, and its' impacts, executive leaders must have access to an objective and non-judgmental coaching process that brings clarity to their thinking so they can make decisions quickly.

Asking for and receiving advice takes time, and it log jams decisions because leaders start second guessing themselves or they spend too much time in their own heads contemplating options

As the virus spreads there will be a need to distance people from each other, board rooms will likely become empty, so leaders may be distanced from their teams. Hazardscape is providing leaders with the ability to increase their capacity, quickly and remotely.

For information on Hazardscape Management Inc. visit our about page.

Author: Brad Ison is a professional disaster and emergency management coach. He’s held various position specific roles in the Alberta Provincial Operations Centre and had decade long career at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency where his last role served was as the Director for Training, Accreditation, and Standards.

How to Discuss Coaching With Your Manager

Coaching can be an added resource and support for you in all areas of your life including work.

Having a plan that will guide you during a career development discussion with your manger is important and it can help ensure you meet your definition of success. The guide “How to Discuss Coaching With Your Manager” provides information and tips about how coaching can be a resource for you, and your organization, to enhance overall performance. It will help you develop a meeting plan so your conversation with your manager is:

• Purposeful

• Timely

• Clear

• Successful

For information on Hazardscape Management Inc. visit our about page.

Author: Brad Ison is a professional disaster and emergency management coach. He’s held various position specific roles in the Alberta Provincial Operations Centre and had decade long career at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency where his last role served was as the Director for Training, Accreditation, and Standards.

How the Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments are responding to COVID-19.

Last update March 15, 2020

After the response to:

• H1N1

• the XL Foods E coli event

• 2014 influenza vaccine shortage

the Canadian Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health identified inconsistencies in the management of these events. Due to these inconsistencies, in 2018 the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Public Health Response Plan for Biological Events was published.

This plan would have been initiated after the initial notification of COVID-19 and should still be in play today.

The objectives of the plan are:

• define a flexible F/P/T governance mechanism that can be used consistently for a coordinated response to all biological public health events that would benefit from high level F/P/T collaboration

• identify escalation considerations and response levels for a scalable response

• improve effective engagement amongst public health, health care delivery and health emergency management authorities during a coordinated F/P/T response

The plan also outlines the concept of operations which is detailed on page 7 of the plan. In short, when a notification of a potential issue is received an initial assessment is conducted. This assessment determines if a coordinated response by federal/provincial/territorial governments is needed (also a response level may be assigned (Level 1, 2, 3 or 4)….4 being bad). If it is, the Special Advisory Committee is activated and situational awareness is maintained.

From there initial response planning and a capability assessment is conducted followed by a strategic review for approval. If approved, the response is undertaken. During a coordinated federal/provincial/territorial response the governance structure will follow this model as depicted on page 19 of the plan.

The Incident Management System includes three steams which are similar to sections within the Incident Commend System Model:

1. Technical Stream (Equivalent to Operations)

2. Logistics Stream

3. Communications Stream

The Special Advisory Committee’s Secretariat has dotted line reporting into the Federal Health Portfolio of Operations (basically an Emergency Coordination Centre). The technical stream and logistics stream also have dotted lines of reporting in to Federal Health Portfolio of Operation. I can this structure having the potential for either really good communications coordination or it will create a communications mess, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

The plan includes guiding principles (with definitions) which I really appreciate because it tells me those involved in public health at the federal/provincial/territorial governments are taking the time to develop systems that ensure long-term sustainability. And that they are looking to develop a culture that survives and helps the organization to drive performance, public, stakeholder, and staff satisfaction.

I like how a high-level relationship model was included which shows this plan’s relationship to other public health emergency management planes.

Relationship to other EM plans in Canada.

Conclusion

Overall the plan provides detailed information on roles, responsibilities, and governance. Although Health Canada’s website does not provide this information (I could not find it) based on the plan and the fact Canada is low risk at this time we are likely at a level 2. (As of the last update for this blog the response level is at a 3)

As of March 15, 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada has not provided their process or measures for success with regards to their third objective.

I was not able to locate any measures of success within the plan or potential metrics to measure a coordinated response so I am not sure how governments will measure whether or not the plan met its objectives.

The response (so far) to COVID-19 should determine if the objectives of the plan were achieved. I look forward to reviewing any after action reviews to see how the plan measures up.

For information on Hazardscape Management Inc. visit our about page.

Author: Brad Ison is a professional disaster and emergency management coach. He’s held various position specific roles in the Alberta Provincial Operations Centre and had decade long career at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency where his last role served was as the Director for Training, Accreditation, and Standards.

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A Resilient Houston, Calgary, and Edmonton - A Tale of Three Strategies

Three oil and gas centric communities aiming to be more resilient.

The City of Houston is the 101st city to join the ranks of 100 Resilient Cities. And seeing as Houston is the 101st city to join the network and it is an oil and gas centric city, I thought I’d compare its strategy to Edmonton’s and Calgary’s.

100 Resilient Cities is an initiative led by the Rockefeller foundation to create a network of member cities that are dedicated to changing the way they understand their risks and to plan for their futures. The Rockefeller Foundation provides funding, capacity building, and technical assistance to help its member cities.

According to Wikipedia, Houston’s population is just over 2 million while Calgary’s is just over a million and Edmonton is just under a million. There are many other differences that separate each city and I don’t live in two of them so I am not going to compare and judge the merits of their actions.

The purpose of this blog is to compare the structure, the information, and the ability to hold each government to account. It is also a high-level summary of what each city is focused on and how they are planning to tackle their risks.  

I broke my review down and looked at the following criteria:

1. Document name and year published

2. Number of Pages

3. Document Purpose

4. Overarching Objectives

5. Glossary

6. Monitoring and Follow-up

1. Document names:

• Resilient Houston – 2020

• Resilient Calgary – 2019

• Climate Resilient Edmonton - Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan – 2018

2. Number of Pages

I understand the length of a document does not necessarily predict its quality; however, I found it interesting that Edmonton’s was almost 100 pages shorter that Calgary’s and nearly 140 pages shorter than Houston’s.

• Resilient Calgary – 142

• Resilient Houston -186

• Climate Resilient Edmonton - Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan - 48

3. Document Purpose

Houston placed the purpose of their document right up front in the executive summary while Calgary and Edmonton’s were a bit harder to find. Calgary and Edmonton embedded theirs within the introductions near the end of each.

Personally, I found the City of Houston’s purpose was easy to find and I found it to be a bit clearer.

Houston	Calgary	Edmonton
Resilient Houston provides a framework for collective action for every Houstonian; our diverse neighborhoods and watersheds; City departments; and local, regional, and global partners. The strategy links existing efforts with new ones that will collectively work to protect Houston against future disasters—from hurricanes to extreme heat waves—and chronic stresses such as aging infrastructure, poor air quality, and flooding.	The journey to develop this Resilient Calgary strategy has helped us identify what our greatest stresses and shocks might be, encouraged us to explore these disruptors and gather knowledge about our readiness for them, and compelled us to identify the specific goals and actions to move us forward toward our vision of Calgary as a sustainable, resilient place.	This document—Climate Resilient Edmonton: Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan—will help set Edmonton on this path so that we can be prepared for and respond to anticipated climate change impacts.

Personally, I found the City of Houston’s purpose was easy to find and I found it to be a bit clearer.

4. Overarching Objectives

All three documents used different language to organize the structure of their overarching objectives, goals, and actions. Houston listed targets and Calgary listed outcomes for each of their goals. Edmonton did not have any outcome related statements.

Houston	Calgary	Edmonton
Chapter	Pillar	Path
Goal	Goal	Goal
Target	Outcome	Action
Action	Action

For each, I have listed their over arching ‘objective’ and goal for each. All three city’s had detailed actions which can be referenced in each document in well organized and easy to read tables.

Houston - Chapters	Calgary - Pillars	Edmonton - Paths
Chapter 1 - Prepared and Thriving Houstonians	Pillar 1 - The Future of Calgary’s Economy	Path 1 - Science and Evidence Based Decisions
Goal 1 - We will support Houstonians to be prepared for an uncertain future. Goal 2 - We will expand access to wealth-building and employment opportunities. Goal 3 - We will improve safety and well-being for all Houstonians.	Goal - All community members are encouraged and able to participate in a diverse and strong economy.	Goal 1 - The City of Edmonton uses formal climate science and evidence-based policy and decision-making processes. Goal 2 - Edmonton is planned, designed, developed and built to be climate resilient today and for future Edmontonians. Goal 3 - Edmonton’s communities, businesses and institutions are aware, connected, and prepared for climate change.
Chapter 2 - Safe & Equitable Neighborhoods	Pillar 2 - Inclusive Futures	Path 2 Preparing for Changing Temperatures
Goal 4 - We will ensure that all neighborhoods have equitably resourced plans. Goal 5 - We will invest in arts and culture to strengthen community resilience. Goal 6 - We will ensure all neighborhoods are healthy, safe, and climate ready. Goal 7 - We will build up, not out, to promote smart growth as Houston’s population increases.	Goal - Institutions have trusted and informed relationships with Calgary’s equity-seeking communities.	Goal 4 – Edmonton’s communities and urban environment are resilient to changing temperatures. Goal 5 - Edmonton is proactive in drought management to minimize social, economic and environmental impacts.
Chapter 3 - Healthy & Connected Bayous	Pillar 3 - The Future of Calgary’s Natural Infrastructure	Path 3 - Preparing for Changing Perception
Goal 8 - We will live safely with water. Goal 9 - We will embrace the role of our bayous as Houston’s front yard.	Goal - Natural infrastructure assets are identified, protected, tracked, managed and used to inform investment and planning decisions.	Goal 6 – Edmonton’s water supply is secure and safe for current and future Edmontonians. Goal 7 - Edmonton is a flood resilient community.
Chapter 4 - Accessible & Adaptive City	Pillar 4 - Future Ready Infrastructure	Path 4 - Preparing for Changing Weather Extremes
Goal 10 - We will demonstrate leadership on climate change through action. Goal 11 - We will modernize Houston’s infrastructure to address the challenges of the future. Goal 12 - We will advance equity and inclusion for all. Goal 13 - We will transform city government to operationalize resilience and build trust.	Goal - Calgarians are supported through strategic investment in future-focused and resilient infrastructure.	Goal 8 - Edmontonians with regional partners are informed, prepared for, can respond to and recover from increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Goal 9 - Edmonton has resilient energy systems.
Chapter 5 - Innovative & Integrated Region	Shared theme - A Future Focused Calgary	Path 5 - Preparing for Changing Ecosystems
Goal 14 - We will continue to invest in the region’s diverse economy. Goal 15 - We will increase regional transportation choice. Goal 16 - We will manage our land and water resources from prairie to bay. Goal 17 - We will enhance regional emergency preparedness and response. Goal 18 - We will leverage existing and new investments and partnerships.	Goal - All pillars use a future-focused lens when advancing resilience outcomes and actions.	Goal 10 – Edmonton’s natural ecosystems continue to provide essential ecosystem goods and services such as clean air, clean water, and biodiversity. Goal 11 – Edmonton’s food systems are resilient, reliable and secure.

Other Observations

Overall, I found Calgary’s and Houston’s documents to be very similar. They both went to great lengths to:

• identify measures for success,

• structure accountability, and

• tie their document to other strategies and plans.

Calgary and Houston did something I really liked from an accountability standpoint; they listed each community stakeholder that has a responsibility for helping them meet each action they want to achieve. Although Edmonton listed the stakeholders that were involved in their document’s development, they did not tie a community stakeholder to a goal or an action; they only list the lead city department for each action.

Calgary and Houston identified the shocks and stressors that will likely impact each goal. And Calgary was very clear in identifying their measures for success.

Houston tied each of their actions to a UN Sustainability Goal while Calgary listed the available resources for each of their actions. Given the amount of detail provided, it is very easy to understand how Calgary and Houston are moving forward to meet their goals. Edmonton stated their evaluation measures are to be developed.

Houston and Calgary provided instructions on how to read their action plan templates which I found very helpful because there is lot of data and information presented within each action page.

Calgary and Houston also provided graphics on their ‘History of Resilience’. They were good references to show what each city has faced. And they provided information on how and when they developed other strategies to address the various shocks and stressors that impact their community.  

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Lastly, Calgary and Houston went to great lengths to show how their resilience strategies tie into other strategies within their governments. Here is an example of how Calgary organized theirs:

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Edmonton provided how they would measure climate variables which I think is important. For example, the definition for a heat wave is going to change over the decades so it is good to see Edmonton putting in criteria to determine what a hot day is, they will be able to adjust the criteria as needed, to define any new realities.

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5. Glossary

I went through most definitions in each document and pulled out resilience as an example of how each city defines resilience and compared it to other sources. Houston uses the term urban resilience while Calgary and Edmonton use resilience:

Houston	Urban resilience - The capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within an urban area to survive, adapt, and thrive no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.
Calgary	Capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.
Edmonton	Capacity of a system to survive and thrive under changing conditions, and to maintain its functions during change.
Government of Alberta	The ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions.
Government of Canada	Resilience is the capacity of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to adapt to disturbances resulting from hazards by persevering, recuperating or changing to reach and maintain an acceptable level of functioning. Resilient capacity is built through a process of empowering citizens, responders, organizations, communities, governments, systems and society to share the responsibility to keep hazards from becoming disasters.
UN International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction	The ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt to, transform and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions through risk management.

6. Monitoring and Follow-up

In one way or another, all three cities are committed to monitoring and reporting progress. “The City of Edmonton intends to review and evaluate progress on the strategy annually. This will occur with the use of evaluation measures (to be developed) and through a community indicator on resilience.”

Because Calgary and Houston provided detailed plans to address each of their actions, they spoke about monitoring and reporting specific to each one, whereas, the city of Edmonton is committed to an annual report.

Conclusion

I found Calgary and Houston’s documents to be very detailed with an emphasis on accountability and measurement. 

Both documents provided a clear path for how they and their stakeholders are going to address disaster resilience in each community.  The city of Edmonton’s document left me with a lot of questions and a need to go searching for more detailed information.

I do look forward to reviewing each city’s reporting on their various actions in order to see how each one is gauging their current state resiliency to disasters.

For information on Hazardscape Management Inc. visit our about page.

Author: Brad Ison is a professional disaster and emergency management coach. He’s held various position specific roles in the Alberta Provincial Operations Centre and had decade long career at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency where his last role served was as the Director for Training, Accreditation, and Standards.

Get our free guides on How to Choose a Coach and How to Discuss Coaching with your Manager

Canada Disaster and Emergency Management Public-Private Partnerships - Fail or Win?

2018-2020 Action Plan

for Critical Infrastructure

This year marks the wrap-up of the 2018-2020 Canadian Action Plan for Critical Infrastructure. Action plans for enhancing the resilience of Canada’s critical infrastructure came into affect a year after Public Safety Canada published the 2009 National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure.

The 2009 national strategy highlights the importance of building a safer, more secure and more resilient Canada. One of the strategic objectives in the strategy is developing partnerships.

In the 2018-2020 action plan, partnerships continued to be a main objective, along with risk management (all-hazards approach) and information sharing. Overall, the plan hosts 33 deliverables with the majority of delieverables (16) under the objective of Implementing an All-Hazards Risk Management Approach.

Two deliverables that I am particularity interested in fall under public-private partnerships:

1. The Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada to develop and implement an outreach strategy for key resilience enhancement programs, and

2. Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada to engage with provinces and territories to identify ways to collaborate more effectively in the delivery of critical infrastructure programs, particularly the Regional Resilience Assessment Program.

I am interested to see what the final outreach strategy looks like and hear feedback from the provinces and territories on how Public Safety Canada is engaging with them.

Typically, the federal government either proceeds on provincial matters without engaging provinces and territories first or they tend to announce an initiative only days before it is set to launch.

For information on Hazardscape Management Inc. visit our about page.

Author: Brad Ison is a professional disaster and emergency management coach. He’s held various position specific roles in the Alberta Provincial Operations Centre and had decade long career at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency where his last role served was as the Director for Training, Accreditation, and Standards.

Have you every had a conversation with someone who:

• Refers you to another support professional as needed, knowing when this is needed and the available resources?

• Shows genuine concern for your welfare and future?

• Is clear, articulate and direct in sharing and providing feedback?

• Uses metaphor and analogy to help to illustrate a point or paint a verbal picture?

• Sees many ways to work with you and chooses in the moment what is most effective?

• Hears your concerns, goals, values and beliefs about what is and is not possible?

• Allows you to vent or “clear” the situation without judgment or attachment in order to move on to next steps.

If not, and you want to give it a try, find a coach with accredited ICF training and try coaching!

Taken from the International Coach Federation’s Core Competencies

Exercise and Evaluation Programming - Sell with WHY?

In Canada, it is typically the community that is responsible for emergency management as the ‘first line’ of defense’. This means municipal elected officials should have a vision for the emergency management agency, which includes setting priorities and objectives for an agency’s exercise and evaluation program.

Elected officials must be engaged early and often, not only as those responsible for the program (including the budgets) but as actors that will eventually participate in future exercises.

Dependent on the community, its exposure and vulnerabilities to hazards, and their past interactions with emergencies and disasters, it might be a hard sell for a manager to convince their council that a multi-year exercise and evaluation plan is needed.

The Sales Pitch

Sales tactics are not normally included in emergency management training and most emergency managers don’t go into the job thinking they will be part of the political cycle, but every so often a sales pitch needs to be made to politicians in order to secure resources.

Before embarking on an ask that might require additional, or a reallocation of, funding, additional staff, or help from other departments consider the following:

Start with ‘WHY’!

* Emergency managers need to understand why an exercise and evaluation program is needed so they can connect the need to other council priorities and strategies.  

* If council can see a connection to the why, an emergency manager’s passion for the program should do a lot of the selling on its own. When emergency manager’s can demonstrate they are not just serving themselves, but a bigger cause, the chance of sustainability is higher.

Questions to consider

·         What is important about this request?

·         How has my experience prepared me for this situation?

·         What challenges do I see?

·         What am I willing to risk for the best outcome?

·         Is there anyone in my organization that has had success or failed at making pitches to council? What can be learned?

·         What would amazing results look like?

·         What has prepared me for a successful outcome? 

For more information on why I coach and how I can help visit my about page.

Brad Ison is a professional disaster and emergency management coach. He’s held various position specific roles in the Alberta Provincial Operations Centre and is Director, Training for the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. To find out more contact Brad directly by emailing him at brad@bradison.ca. You can also learn more about Brad here.

Learn about Coaching for Emergency Management

A coach’s goal is your Leadership capability and success

Why are coach’s so hell bent on your success? Because if you are not succeeding the coach is failing.

Why do teams need to know when they are successful? When a team knows they are being successful, they know they are contributing, everyone wants to contribute and feel useful. When people feel useful and are recognized for it, keeps them engaged.

Leaders must help their team define success so they know when they have reached the goal. Knowing when you have hit success triggers the team to evaluate their current situation and take the needed steps to innovate.

More often than not, I see teams leave meeting rooms super excited that they developed great ideas with plans to move the ideas from concept to reality. What I often don’t see in the plan is the inclusion of:

• their definition of success,

• where the success will lead them to next, and

• a plan to celebrate their success.

Meetings usually end with everyone agreeing that the ideas are good, the deadlines are reasonable, and they know who is doing what and how.

Just when everyone thinks the meeting is done, accredited coaches should be helping teams to stay in the meeting room for a bit longer.

Professional coaches will help teams go the extra mile to help them define success, to develop an understanding of where the success will lead them next, and to make a plan to celebrate along the way.

Tips:

Looking to hire a coach? How to choose a coach

When you think your planning meeting is done, ask the team these four questions before you end the meeting:

1. What will success look like and how will we know if we are successful?

   • Completed project? Client feedback? Number of email or phone inquires? Social media analytics

2. How will success be objectively measured?

   • How many products do you want to sell and by when?

   • How many people are using your services and by when?

3. Where will success lead us?

   • Development of complimentary products or services.

   • Recognition as an industry leader or an award nomination through an association.

   • More customers.

4. What do we want to do to celebrate and at what stages of our work?

   • This could be a team outing

   • Drinks after a project’s milestone is made

   • The manager bakes a cake for the team

Brad Ison 

Brad Ison is a professional coach, disaster management professional, facilitator, and speaker. To find out more contact Brad directly by emailing him at brad@bradison.ca. You can also learn more about Brad here.

Learning Disaster Management Lessons Faster & With The Resources You Have

What if learning ‘lessons identified’ could be done faster, cheaper, with existing resources, with more focus, and with clear criteria for success? What if you did not need to ask for more resources? How would this change disaster and emergency management programs across Canada?

Disaster and emergency managers spend a great deal of time, resources, and energy trying to get better. A fundamental process embedded in the profession is post-incident assessments or after action reviews, more commonly known as a feedback loop.

After every exercise and live event a post incident assessment is performed to review what worked well and what could be done better. Lessons are identified with the goal of eventually learning those lessons. But it takes a lot of time, resources, and energy to learn them. And more often than not, organizations don’t get around to learning all of the lessons identified before the next disaster or emergency. 

Some of the ways disaster and emergency management professionals try to learn from their mistakes is by:

• updating existing training and taking new training, 

• attending post-secondary programs, 

• exercising bigger and more complex events, 

• attending conferences, 

• joining associations, and 

• running drills. 

Productivity and efficiency in learning lessons 

The above list outlines great tools for disaster and emergency management practitioners; however, there is a new option entering the profession. A tool that:

• decreases the implementation time of lessons identified, 

• only requires existing resources, and

• increases return on investment.

What is the new tool?

Non-directive coaching improves disaster and emergency management leadership, it helps with recruitment and retention, it engages employees, and it enhances the bench strength of teams. Coaching is most appropriately used during prevention/mitigation, preparedness, and recovery. It can be used during the response phase but only during certain situations. 

Coaching is non-directive and inquiry based so it’s not the best tool for when events are moving quickly and experience, instinct, and plans must be used to direct resources. But for larger events (Type 1-3) and after a few operational periods, coaching can be an effective tool in all areas of the incident command post or the emergency operations/coordination centre. 

Professionally trained coaches work with people one-on-one, or in teams/groups. It is a structure that empowers people to find innovative solutions that are right for them and their organization. 

Coaching assists with people coming up with ways of working that can be implemented using the network, resources, and skills they currently have. When they are coaching, coaches are not consultants, they are not trainers, and they are not psychotherapists. They help their clients assess challenges in order to find solutions that can be implemented faster, with a defined criteria for success. 

Coaches can help with

• exercise design,

• training development,

• post-incident assessments, and

• program development.

They won’t do any of the work it takes to implement the solutions but they will help staff complete the work more efficiently using clear criteria for success, and using the resources available to the agency. 

If you would like to know more about how you can use coaching in your emergency management agency contact me and I’d be happy to provide more details.

Brad Ison 

Brad Ison is a professional coach, disaster management professional, facilitator, and speaker. To find out more contact Brad directly by emailing him at brad@bradison.ca. You can also learn more about Brad here.

How to choose a coach

Choosing a coach is no different than hiring any other type of professional. Here are a few quick tips for choosing a coach that is right for you.

Brad Ison

Brad Ison is a professional coach, facilitator, and speaker. To find out more contact Brad directly by emailing him at brad@bradison.ca. You cal also learn more about Brad here.

Part 2 - Two years after the 2017 Kenow Wildfire at Waterton Lakes National Park

A three day, 47km solo backcountry trip in Waterton Lakes National Park to examine the area’s recovery from the 2017 Kenow Wildfire.

Part 1 of this blog can be found by clicking here.

A quick video along Red Rock Parkway.

After seeing hydrophobic soil, ravaged trees, and lots of new growth I was not sure what to expect next. What I found was fascinating…….exposed tree root networks. Clumps of unveiled roots were along the Snowshoe trail. The trees looked as if they were grasping for dear life on the edges of the eroded hillsides.

The exposed roots at Waterton gave me a whole new appreciation for how far and how deep the systems run.

The Way Back

After spending two nights in the area I headed back to the trail-head. There was a spot along the trail where a small stream of water was being fed by a creek. The small stream was crossing my path (the water that was running across the trail was about 3 feet wide) pooling in an area about 100 square feet.

Unfortunately, the GoPro I was using was new to me and I accidentally deleted the video I took of what I thought might be a new water course. It appeared new because the runoff was on top of the hydrophobic soil layer, there was no bed rock, and there was no previous sign of water flow across that part of the trail. I am not sure how long the small creek will continue to feed the tiny stream but it was interesting to see. Hopefully my diagram does it some justice.

As I made my way out of the bush, I chatted with some Parks Canada staff. They were installing water temperature gauges East of the Crandell Mountain Campground bridge for Fisheries and Oceans. Bullhead Trout don’t do so well in water that is above 14 degrees Celsius. They said water temperatures at lower elevations have been reading 14; so they were testing the temperatures at higher elevations. We did not get into the exact causes for the warming so I am not sure if rain water runoff from the hydrophobic soil is partly to blame; but I would hazard a guess that it may not be helping.

Bull Trout

We also spoke a bit about the evacuation of back country campers before the Kenow Wildfire entered the Wateron Park. Luckily there was a lot of lead time for park staff to notify campers and hikers. Being out there alone for three days granted me the time to think how I might be better prepared for a wildfire in the backcountry.

With 8 KM left in my trip I decided to take a trail that was grown over due to lack of use. It brought me back to the days I used to bush whack with Edmonton Regional Search and Rescue. The over growth (5 feet tall) was a sign that people have not been hiking around Crandell due to past closures.

Community Recovery

After my trip, I reached out to Shameer Suleman, Head of Marketing for the Wateron Chamber of Commerce and owner of the Bayshore Inn Resort and Spa. I wanted to get a better understanding of how the community was doing economically.

When I asked Shameer about 2018, he simply stated ‘2018 was a difficult year’. He went on to say at the time, the park did not have much to offer in terms of hiking and camping due to much of the trails and camping areas being closed. And only one business was impacted to the point where it closed but Shameer did not dwell on the past. He excitedly went on to explain how Wateron is growing forward.

The start of 2019 was difficult for the popular tourist hot spot, again mostly due to park closures, but bad weather also plagued the area in May and June. However, things are turning the corner Shameer said, especially since Red Rock Parkway opened to bicycle and pedestrian traffic. (As of August 12, 2019 Parks Canada reports Akamina Parkway is open to hikers and cyclists but will close for construction in September 2019).

As Shameer was explaining how the community has banded together, he said something that really resonated with me, ‘businesses in Wateron have adapted’. In Disaster Management the definition of resilience includes the ability of a community exposed to hazards to adapt and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner.

The Wildfire, combined with a year of economic challenges, provided the community with the right ingredients to see that they needed to adapt. So they focused more energy on making Wateron a destination that is more than just beautiful landscapes, hiking, and camping. Some examples include:

• Reinvigorating their festivals to be bigger and better, and

• developing a reputation as a culinary hot spot.

The My Wateron website lists Upper Wateron Lake as a popular spot for advanced windsurfers which was a surprise.

There are no franchises in Wateron, the businesses are all family owned and operated. This gives them the freedom to reinvent themselves so they can adapt.

Disasters create setbacks for communities, mostly emotionally and economically. They also reveal vulnerabilities that existed pre-event; vulnerabilities that may have been unnoticed. It’s hard for a community to come together and recognize their vulnerabilities because there has to be an admission that the past could have been better, that their past actions may have been holding them back from something greater.

Disaster recovery includes a phase of reconstruction, or ‘a new beginning’. A growth mindset during reconstruction means the community stays positive about the future which means they are extremely creative, innovative, and more open to testing ideas that may have been perceived as ‘too risky’ before the disaster.

The passion that Shammer displayed made it obvious that the community of Waterton stayed positive and banded together to attack the vulnerabilities they became aware of. Through his descriptions and energy, I felt the ferocious determination of the community to be better.

A new visitor centre is scheduled to be opened in the spring of 2021 by Parks Canada. For more information on Wateron you can also visit My Wateron.

I’d like to thank Shameer for his time and for all of the work he is doing, with the Chamber and other business owners, to recover.

I’d also like to thank the staff at The Tamarack and Caribou Clothes for being so helpful when I was in their shops. The were positive, polite, and very helpful.

Thank you for reading my two part blog on the 2017 Kenow Wildfire at Waterton Lakes National Park. Please leave me a comment or a like if you found the blog helpful or interesting.

For a bit of a different view of my trip, visit my Polarsteps trip page.

Brad Ison is a disaster management professional, All Hazards Coach, and owner of Hazardscape Management Inc.

Part 1 - Two years after the 2017 Kenow Wildfire at Waterton Lakes National Park

A three day, 47km solo backcountry trip in Waterton Lakes National Park to examine the area’s recovery from the 2017 Kenow Wildfire.

My route

I have never responded to an emergency or disaster as a first responder……but I have worked in Government of Alberta‘s Provincial Operation Centre during many events. One event I worked was the 2017 Kenow Fire in Wateron Lakes National Park. My viewpoint was from the chair of the Operations Section Chief, 700 KM away in Edmonton.

The main goal of my trip was to gain perspective. I wanted to do this because disaster and emergency management is complex, it requires a perspective from many angles.

This is not a scientific research study and I am not a wildfire expert. Much of what I have learned about forest fire recovery was self study, mostly from this guide produced by Firewise Wyoming.

My Route

My return trip, as shown on the map below, started at the Red Rock Parkway entrance (just off Highway 5) where I hiked west to Snowshoe Campground.

The route was a mixture of pavement and forested trail. Due to the fire, Red Rock Parkway was closed to vehicles but open to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

What would normally have been a 20 minute drive was a four hour hike on the small two lane road. At the end of the road was the start of a two hour 8.6 KM hike through the Waterton forest to the campground.

Burn severity map with my route in blue.

2017 Wildfire Burn Severity

The Hike

As I walked the Red Rock Parkway wildflowers bloomed against the mostly blue sky and the mountains, with a hint of burnt trees.

Natural Resources Canada defines a crown fire as the most intense and dangerous type of wildfire. I like the follwing chart by Peter F. Kolb that explains how to assess trees after a wildfire. His paper on Tree and Forest Restoration Following Wildfire can be found here.

Assessing a tree after a wildfire — Peter F. Kolb

As I approached the scorched tress they were either 90 per cent or 100 per cent scorched. Crown consumed trees became more prevalent as I moved west.

As I approached the bend in the road a Black Bear was on the ridge to my right, about 75 meters away. I scared it off with a few hand claps. It served as an early reminder to stay bear aware.

Edge of the burnt treeline and a bear (not visible) just after the corner in the foreground

The Small Things

More damage became noticeable, such as…….burnt guard rail posts……..scorched signs……… and melted highway markers.

Seeing them made me think about how much work goes into recovering from a disaster. I often hear about the big things like rebuilding homes and bridges but rarely hear about the small things like replacing burnt road sign posts and highway guards.

It made me think about the amount of time and planning it must take to survey, order, and replace the small things before an area can be made safe again.

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From a high point along Red Rock Parkway, looking southwest.

When I arrived at Red Rock Canyon I bumped into a Parks Canada staff member who was mountain biking on their day off.

She mentioned that a lot of the locals like the parkway closed to vehicles. The serenity of being able to ride a bicycle on a road where vehicles are normally bumper to bumper is a different experience for those that live in the area. The goal of Parks Canada is to reopen all roads to vehicle traffic within the next couple of years.

Snowshoe Trail

After a 45 minute break, that included soaking my feet in a stream and eating lunch, I stared my hike along Snowshoe Trail. A lot of the area was made up of charred trees……..hydrophobic soil……..burnt stumps…….and lots of new growth. The below was taken from the Firewise Wyoming Wildfire Recovery Guide. It’s a good chart that shows the various levels of soil and how wildfires can strip the land of the soil surface and wettable soil.

Taken from Firewise Wyoming- Recovery After a Wildfire

“From a distance, every charred tree stump that stood 3–4 feet started to look like the back of a Black Bear which made for an unsettling experience.”

Me standing on charred deadfall

There is lots of area where undergrowth is taking root. There is also many spots where the land is bare and water repellent; which I tested by pouring water on the soil.

For the few spots that I stopped at, water would take anywhere from 20 to 40 seconds to penetrate the soil and lots beaded down the slope. From what I understand, in most cases, water repellent soil will weaken the more it rains. Rain will carry surface soil from higher elevations (if available) and the black char coming off of burnt trees adds to the regrowth.

In Part 2, I detail the exposed tree root networks that I came across……describe how new water courses may be developing in the park…..and I’ll mention some of the impacts to local businesses.

For a bit of a different view, visit my Polarsteps trip page.

Brad Ison is a disaster management professional, All Hazards Coach, and owner of Hazardscape Management Inc.