On March 27th, a house, a few away from our own, caught fire. As much as I was caught up in the inferno and stresses that come to mind as a neighbour, parent and homeowner, I was amazed by the systems that took over seemingly automatically and with the greatest ease. While fires (and campfires) can be content-free-content, the flames themselves can serve as outposts where people gather and connect, sharing their own stories and experiences. The community did. And the real content was generated, if by accident, by the emergency crews. They offered great insight into crisis management.
Suppression
The fire department were the first responders. At first it was a single pumper and its crew. Within 20 minutes, the full third floor of the house engulfed in flames and 20 fire trucks of all shapes and sizes were on the scene — at least three of them were aerial ladder trucks of some form or another. The apparatus was positioned throughout the block to attack the fire from all sides. Firefighters moved with ease, doing their substitutions like lines of a hockey team. More than 45 firefighters operating like an army of ants; they knew what to do and where to be at any given moment. They seemingly shared a brain.
Control
The police blocked roads and redirected traffic. While crowds were gathered to take in what was happening, they were all well behaved. By my count, four separate streets were cut off in some form or another; one of them a major road. The police were also the first responders when a woman slipped on ice that formed from the stream of water that snaked its way around corners and traveled several blocks, freezing into miniature skating rinks along the streets and sidewalks as it went. This secondary crisis was handled quickly and also made the news.
Remediation
Two ambulance crews arrived very quickly after the fire was first reported. A short time later an ambulance bus arrived on the scene. I don’t believe there were any civilian injuries as a result of the fire, though I noticed the crews occasionally checking on firefighters in what seemed to be more preventative maintenance rather than treating injuries.
Support
To put the finishing touches on what seemed to be a pop-up community, The Salvation Army dispatched a canteen truck to dispense sandwiches, coffee and cold drinks to the emergency crews. They parked themselves in a central location, between the rescue trucks and the ambulance bus. And, they stayed until most of the apparatus was packed up. A backhoe was dispatched late in the day to help expose hot spots in the building. A deficiency in the system emerged when, later in the week, the City of Ottawa posted a notice of violation because the house was demolished without a permit.
Communications
Firefighters, police officers and ambulance attendants were all very responsive to neighbours and their concerns. Some of the firefighters went out of their way to mingle with and reassure the public and explained what was going on. It was simple and easy PR for them (and may influence the career aspirations of a few children). Everyone spoke plain English in a relatable tone. There didn’t seem to be any top-level control of who could talk and what they could say. There was information to be shared that affected the public and everyone seemed empowered to speak. In cases where information was not known by one of the emergency crew, they located someone who had the information.
Cleanup
City crews collected barricades and spread salt on the ice that had formed. A lone pumper and its crew remained on the scene for most of the evening. A fencing company secured the property before dark. The block the house was on remained barricaded for another day. It was several months before crews hauled away the remains of the house (and its stench). I heard the delays were because of the insurance company.
Notwithstanding the fact there’s still a hole in the ground where a house used to be, I find myself thinking about that day a lot. It speaks to me on many levels, from my 13 years in systems and network security (which included disaster planning and response) and my new career in public affairs, communications and public relations. That day demonstrates the value of crisis planning, practice/rehearsal and teamwork.
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