2023 - A YEAR TO BE REMEMBERED IN NOVA SCOTIA

2023 - A YEAR TO BE REMEMBERED IN NOVA SCOTIA 2023 presented significant challenges for the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team of the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia (FSANS), Canada, in the form of two major natural disasters, wildfires and a severe flash flood. Despite being stretched to its limits, our CISM team successfully met the demands placed upon it.

Background: 

The FSANS CISM team was developed in the early 1990’s with a mandate to provide CISM services to volunteer fire departments in Nova Scotia. Our team serves approximately 250 departments, which are mainly small and in rural areas.

 We divided the province into 4 zones, each with a CISM team comprised of 10-12 volunteer members, both peers and mental health professionals, for a total of 45-50 members. Additionally, for many years we have unofficially been providing CISM services to Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) teams as they don’t have access to their own CISM team. To support our teams, we have an annual fall training session for all team members and organize two training opportunities in the spring where two adjacent teams come together.

 In 2023, we provided 116 CISM interventions to 1113 fire personnel, 340 non-fire personnel for a total of 1453 first responders. This nearly doubles the interventions conducted in 2022 highlighting the increasing recognition of the importance of this work. 

Special Challenges in 2023:

 Nova Scotia experienced two major wildfires in 2023. One occurred in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and did not involve our team. The other major wildfire occurred in southwestern part of the province near Barrington Lake, which is a sparsely populated rural area.

 Barrington Lake Fire: 

Starting the last weekend of May 2023, it seemed like much of Nova Scotia from HRM on down to Southwestern NS was engulfed in flames as 2 major fires were burning simultaneously. Fortunately, there was no loss of life, but over 200 homes and properties were destroyed with approximately 165 homes in the Halifax area. Another CISM team based in the Halifax region provided support to fire personnel who fought that fire.

 Our CISM team responded to the Barrington Lake fire which was the largest forest fire in Nova Scotia’s history, destroying 23,379 hectares and approximately 70 homes in southwestern NS The fire broke out on May 26, 2023, and declared under control on June 13, before being extinguished on July 26.

 During the first two weeks of that fire, our CISM team was present each day, focusing on supporting on-duty firefighters, a few who lost their own home, using numerous individual and small group defusing interventions. Additionally, we extended support beyond our mandate to municipal staff in both Shelburne and Barrington Municipalities. These staff members, untrained for the onerous task, had to deliver devastating news to families who lost their homes. To their great relief our team members stood by them providing much needed support as they carried out this difficult duty.

 About a month later, our team conducted several debriefings for various fire departments in the area with follow-up calls approximately one week later and again at the three-month period. Some firefighters required longer term support which was provided by local mental health services, Employee Assistance Programs and the TEMA Foundation.

 This fire was the first time the majority of our CISM team members were exposed to such a significant and long-lasting incident. One might say they were “baptized by fire”. The team from the South Shore zone was supplemented by fellow members from the neighbouring Valley zone. As is the case with most large-scale disasters, we were navigating challenges as they arose but feel we provided valuable support to many of those directly involved. 

 One year later, a community event gave thanks to all the first responders and other individuals who came together during and since the devastating fire. 

But then in July, we went from a drought to one of the largest and fastest rainfalls in our history. 

The West Hants:

  Flood: In July 2023, NS was inundated with a series of unprecedented floods, with some areas receiving 250mm (9.8 inches) of rain in a 24-hour period, causing dramatic flash floods. On July 22, 2023, a state of emergency was declared in the province lasting two weeks, ending on August 5th. The floods greatly affected the municipalities of Halifax, East Hants, West Hants, as well as the counties of Lunenburg and Queens with estimates of up to 300 mm of rain in some parts. There was widespread destruction of roads, bridges and properties in these areas, some of which have yet to be repaired.

 The West Hants Flood was particularly devastating resulting in the tragic loss of 4 lives: two young children, one teenager and one adult. Thankfully, all 4 bodies were recovered which in tragic circumstances gave the families some comfort. Although schools were on summer break, the Regional School Crisis Team worked with staff in that area both at the time of the event and as school reopened in the Fall to best support students and their families. A profound sense of sadness and despair permeated the surrounding communities, and indeed, resonated across the province.

 During these raging flood waters, other individuals were rescued by firefighters. The death toll could have been much higher. In one case, firefighters themselves had to be rescued when their inflatable craft sank in fast moving waters.

 This search and recovery incident was the longest continuous search in NS history. Over 495 acres of ground and 104 sq kilometers (km) of water was searched along with 417 sq km of shore and tidal areas searched by air. It was a massive undertaking with many first responder agencies coming together to work this incident.

 For this critical incident, our CISM team was initially called upon by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to offer CISM support to the various Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) teams who were searching the muddy and contaminated waters for those reported missing. Throughout the entire search, our CISM team remained an active presence, “loitering with intent”, and supporting GSAR members with one-on-one interventions and defusings.

 In addition to the RCMP and GSAR, many other organizations were involved such as Emergency Health Services (EHS), public safety and communications personnel, fire department auxiliary, and others. So, we deployed CISM support members throughout the various search area rehab stations and command centers. Again, numerous one-on-one interventions were done and CISM team members said they received many “thank you’s” for their presence and support. Following the operation, several debriefings were held for both GSAR and fire departments. A Crisis Management Briefing (CMB) was held for fire department personnel and supporting agencies to support them through this crisis. Additionally, due to the complexity of the search, two experienced CISM team members conducted individual crisis interventions for GSAR members who were involved in locating and extracting the two missing children.

Lessons Learned:

 As mentioned, both disasters posed new challenges for our CISM team, as we hadn’t had prior experience responding to large-scale natural disasters. Thanks to our ICISF training we were not navigating blindly. However, we had to adapt, which is common in disaster scenarios as no two events are the same. As from every situation, there are valuable lessons to be learned.

 First, despite our lack of prior experience with natural disasters, our team proved capable and resilient. Our ICISF training was instrumental and by the end of 2023 we emerged with a sense of accomplishment and increased morale.

 Secondly, we reaped great benefit from the strong familiarity among ours FSANS CISM team. Our Fall Conference, bringing together team members from across the province, fosters excellent opportunities for team building, training and collaboration. Additionally, our approach of holding smaller “Spring Training” sessions with neighbouring teams builds our capacity to provide mutual aid support. This preparation proved essential, enabling us to seamlessly deploy personnel as needed and ensuring smooth operations during critical situations.

 A third lesson concerns the scale and duration of these disasters. Typically, our involvement revolves around isolated incidents like fatalities from motor vehicle accidents, drownings, medical emergencies, etc. However, the prolonged nature of these recent events has highlighted the necessity to establish an “incident command” capability. One proposed solution involves assigning three or four experienced team members to serve as a coordinating group that could deploy anywhere in the province and provide guidance and support to the zone team(s) involved in future disasters or long-term incidents.  

  Finally, we acknowledge that the incidents of 2023 are not isolated incidents. With the rising frequency and severity of weather events, it is imperative to shift our focus beyond traditional response plans. Instead, we must prioritize the development of strategic plans and training programs aimed at effectively managing and supporting large-scale disaster events. 

Submitted by: Wendy Rafuse, Chairperson of the FSANS CISM Team. A retired nurse, ICISF Approved Instructor, she has worked extensively providing CISM services to first responders since 1992. As well, she has helped various municipal police agencies build their own CISM teams.