Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Programs (NEPP) have long been a staple part of community safety and emergency management efforts, but they can be notoriously difficult to get off the ground and sustain. Models that might be effective in an urban setting may not work in a smaller remote community, and vice-versa. The reality is that every community is unique, and every neighbourhood is unique. But this uniqueness and lack of conformity is not a problem to be overcome; it is a strength to be leveraged! Embracing non-conformity, integrating your NEPP teams into local response plans, and providing tailored training/exercise opportunities can provide big payoffs in volunteer engagement, and in neighbourhood cohesion and resilience.
Jeff will provide an overview of Quadra Island’s neighbourhood program, along with lessons and insights that might help you launch (or relaunch) your NEPP. Quadra Island, a community of about 2,700 full-time residents, has over 120 emergency program volunteers, which includes a NEPP program that has grown to cover more than 30 neighbourhoods with over 60 volunteers.
Jeff Ballingall has been the volunteer Emergency Program Coordinator for Quadra Island since 2018. Prior to retiring and moving to Quadra from White Rock, BC in 2016, Jeff was an engineering project manager in the aerospace industry, developing air traffic control and military command & control systems. His career also included service in the Canadian Air Force after graduating from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont.