Provincial emergency managers coordinating committee sept 17 2012

Role of

in Emergency Response & Recovery

Provincial Emergency Management Coordinating Committee (PEMCC) September 17, 2012

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Agenda

• Overview of 211 system in Ontario • 211 Role in Emergency Response & Recovery • 211 in Action: Goderich Tornado (Aug 2011) • Q&A

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What is 211?

• Single point of access to coordinated human service resources • Free information and referral (I&R) to a full range of community, social, health and related government services • A two channel information system o Three-digit phone number: 2-1-1 o Internet service: all 211 telephone centres also have web service - e.g., www.211ontario.ca (new national 211.ca under construction)

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Key Features of 211 • Targeted, live, confidential help: all 211 phone calls answered by certified I&R specialists (not automated systems) • Multilingual: capable of serving more than 150 languages • Around-the-clock access: available 24/7/365 • Standards-driven: all 211 centres must meet the quality assurance standards of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) - demands specialized training, quality assurance procedures, effective management practices, and program evaluation

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Evolution of 211 1997 - 211 launched by United Way of Atlanta, Georgia 2001 - CRTC designated 211 to improve access for Canadians to community services 2002 - the first 211 call centre was launched in Toronto.

2006 – Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Community & Social Services began funding 211 2007 - Ontario 211 Services Corporation (O211SC) created as a provincial, non-profit agency charged with developing and sustaining an integrated provincial 211 system 2009 – Service expanded to 56% of Ontarians 2011 – 100% coverage

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Access to 211 Services •

58% of Canadians with access to full 211 services (phone & web) o Ontario 100%; British Columbia 50%; Alberta 66%; Quebec 15%; and end of 2011/12 Nova Scotia 100%

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Goal: 211.ca (web) by end of 2012 to serve all Canadians o Significant work underway to populate majority of Canada’s human services into 211 database (using new generation IM/IT platform) o Primary step before telephone service

Canada 58% Ontario 100% United States 90%

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Regional 211 Service Providers •

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Central : Findhelp Information Services, Toronto Central East : Community Connection, Collingwood Central South : Information Niagara, St Catharines Dufferin-Peel : Region of Peel Eastern : Community Information Centre of Ottawa Northern : Lakehead Social Planning Council, Thunder Bay South West : City of Windsor

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Who Accesses 211

574,987 calls in 2011 (including TTY and emails)

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Why People Access 211

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Contact Tracking for Needs & Trends Reporting •

Method of contact: (phone, in person, email, TTY)

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Who the contact is for: (self, family, agency)

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About the inquirer: (gender, age, postal code, source of income, language)

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About who the request is for: (gender, age, postal code, source of income, language)

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Reason for contact: (could be multiple reasons)

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Contact outcome: (information, referrals, advocacy, follow up, interpretation, transfer to crisis line)

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Referrals: (each agency and program)

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Identified unmet need(s)

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Reason for unmet need(s)

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First time callers – how they heard about 211

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Ad hoc caller comments: (about 211, feedback on referrals)

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Service Quality

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211 Online

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211 Online – Key Features • Consolidates print directories online: www.211Ontario.ca • Increasingly bilingual – English and French • Comprehensive • Fully searchable • Continually updated • Proximity mapping

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211 – Service and User Data •

Information to deliver 211 and support I&R service (i.e., human service provider types; locations; hours; programs/service offerings, etc.)

211

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211 data as “authoritative” offers opportunities for governments and others to reduce duplication of collecting and managing data

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Aggregate data collected from users of 211 (i.e. caller profiles; service requests/usage patterns; timing/frequency; satisfaction, etc.)

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User Data

*Human Services

Service Data

Key to value proposition - information for improved planning and investments

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Example: Service mapping

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What Lies Ahead • Pan-Canadian expansion • Shared infrastructure • Multi-channel access • Integrated information channels • Open Data • Partnerships • Online service integration

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How 211 can help during and following an incident

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Possible 211 services during incident response and recovery: Public Information Line • Provides and receives information • Reduces non-emergency calls to 911 and other municipal and government lines • Monitors social media and posts information • Relationships with Red Cross, Victim Services, Salvation Army, Crisis Lines, St John Ambulance and the Humane Society to complement their services • Able to provide public access point in reception and/or evacuation centres

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Possible 211 services during incident response and recovery: Specialized Online Database • Maintains inventory of disaster services and information during incident recovery and response • Can deploy regional information websites • Able to collect information from volunteers and make it available to designated organizations utilizing volunteers • Able to collect information about goods and services donated by individuals, governments, businesses or organizations • Can support vulnerable population fan out procedures working with e.g. CCAC and/or Meals on Wheels • Maintains up-to-date lists of where cash donations can be made 19

Possible 211 services during incident response and recovery: Caller Needs and Trends Reporting • Aggregates useful information for government, funders, planners, agencies, researchers and policy makers • Tracks changing service needs, unmet needs, service gaps and trends • Reports aggregated data to support information needs of municipalities and other levels of government

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211 public inquiry role within the communications structure Emergency Responders & Other Agencies

Inquiring public

211 receives authoritative information from Emergency Information Officer

Municipal or Provincial Emergency Management Coordination

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Project: April 2012 - March 2014 211 Role in Emergency Response Recovery

• Ontario 211 service providers for Central, Central East, Central South and Eastern are working together to: Develop relationships with those involved in incident response and recovery Explore, develop and document the role of 211 in incident response and recovery Develop tools and templates which build on best practices Share information and communicate learning With funding from Ontario Trillium Foundation in addition to MCSS

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Recent Canadian Incidents •

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Health Related - Pandemics – H1N1 – National 2009 – SARS – Toronto 2003 Weather Related Crises – Ice Storms –Quebec and Ontario 1998 – Blackout – Ontario & N.E. USA 2003 – Hurricanes – Hurricane Igor 2010 (state of emergency on East Coast, worst in a century) – Earthquakes – Ottawa 2010 (government info systems collapsed) – Forest Fires – 2010 fires - 25% more and area burned more than double 10-year average; Slave Lake AB 2011 – Floods – Manitoba 2009, 2010 and 2011; Quebec 2011 – Severe blizzards – SW Ontario 2011 – Tsunami threat – BC 2011 – Goderich tornado - 2011 – Floods and fires Northern Ontario - 2012 23

211 Experience – Goderich Tornado

August 21, 2011

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SUPPORTED BY 25

Why People Called 211 First Six Weeks • • • • •

#1 – Volunteering #2 – Donations #3 – Businesses #4 - Government #5 – Financial

• #6 – Environment • #7 – Legal Services • #8 – Community Agencies • #9 – Food/Meals • #10 – Housing

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211 Response & Support First Six Weeks • Answered 6,686 calls of which 1,346 were disaster related (including one TTY call) • Responded to 68 emails regarding the disaster • Registered 737 people to volunteer • Registered 481 people/businesses with donations • Called 243 people to volunteer

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Post Disaster Database 42 New Listings First Six Months • Continually updated listings necessary to provide real-time information to callers – Received changes from Huron County and Goderich Town staff – Monitoring social and news media – Also informed by callers – All information validated with key officials before going live • Database supported call centre • Database made available online

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Post Disaster Database Listings Examples • • • • • • • • •

Animals – found/lost Scam Artists – tips Banking services Building inspection Business updates Court services Donations Emotional/trauma support Laundry services

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Post Disaster Database Laundromat Example Service Description • As of Sunday August 28th, none of the laundromats in Goderich are back open.

• Bluewater Cleaners – setting up a temporary location at 119 Bayfield Rd hopes to be open by the end of the week. Will call 211 when up and running.

• Elite Commercial Cleaning – Phone number is not working.

• Goderich Laundromat – not open at this time waiting for gas to be connected. Will call 211 when up and running.

• Goderich Campgrounds with laundry facilities open to the public.

Kincardine laundromats: • Penny’s Laundromat: 330 Durham Market South – 519-396-6556 • Cheers Laundromat: 337 Kincardine Ave. – 519-396-4592 • More…….

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Volunteer, Goods & Services Registration •

Used Excel in a GoogleDoc format

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Colour coded important entries, such as other municipalities offering crews and equipment; department stores with large donations of supplies; money

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Simple to use, no training needed

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All 211 staff could enter at one time

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File was sharable with specific County and Town staff to download, sort and print lists

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Utilized Facebook For Information and Rumour Control • Focused on one Facebook page that had the most followers • Actively posted news to: Promote the 211 phone number for volunteering Direct volunteers to specific activities Redirect unwanted donations Redirect unwanted volunteers Drive specific donations

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Contact Information •

Ontario 211 Services Corporation: Andrew Benson, Ph: 416-777-0211 Ext: 221 E: abenson@211ontario.ca

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• Central 211 Region (Toronto): Sue Wilkinson, Ph: 416-392-4566 E: swilkinson@findhelp.ca

• Eastern 211 Region: (Ottawa) Karen Milligan, Ph: 613-683-5400 E: karen.milligan@cominfo-ottawa.org

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Central East 211 Region (Collingwood): Pam Hillier, Ph: 705-444-0040 Ext: 234 E: phillier@communityconnection.ca

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Central South 211 Region (St Catharines): Rosanna Thoms, Ph: 905-682 4056 E: rthoms@informationniagara.com

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Dufferin-Peel 211 Region (Brampton): Carroll Francis, Ph: 905-791-7800 Ext: 6505 E: carroll.francis@peelregion.ca

Northern 211 Region: (Thunder Bay) Marie Klassen, Ph: 807 624 1721 E: mklassen@tbaytel.net South West 211 Region: (Windsor) Jennifer Tanner, Ph: 519-255-7474 Ext: 834 E: jtanner@city.windsor.on.ca

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Q&A

Questions ?

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