One city councillor says the ‘inappropriate structure’ of Sarnia’s emergency management role is putting the public at risk.
“It is urgent that Council understand that the City’s failures over emergency management communications have potentially endangered our citizens,” Coun. Bill Dennis stated at last week’s council meeting.
He pointed to changes in 2023 including the city’s full-time Community Emergency Management Co-ordinator (CEMC) being deemed ‘redundant.’ As a result, the CEMC role was moved to Sarnia Fire Rescue Services, specifically added to the portfolio of the deputy chief.
Dennis pointed to two major incidents that have occurred since the transition — the failure to sound emergency alarms during a severe storm in July 2023; and a diesel fuel spill in the St. Clair River last month that left residents and community officials scrambling for information and demanding answers.
“So, now we’ve had two major communications failures after the CAO removed the dedicated head of emergency response,” Dennis said. “When will the CAO acknowledge that emergency management is not an “add-on” responsibility or a part time job, and stop endangering the public as a result?”
CAO Chris Carter assured council that the system — integrating the CEMC duties into the role of the deputy fire chief — is ‘supported in other municipalities.’
“It’s been welcomed and well-received throughout the fire department, throughout the services,” Carter said. “The communication that transpired [after the St. Clair River spill] was not part of our communication; it wasn’t part of our agency that was supposed to be communicating that out.
No Code 10 was issued following the incident, which would have alerted industry and community partners of the spill.
“So, I’ll leave it at that,” he added. “I’m not going to point fingers, and I have no further comments with respect to personnel matters.”
Following the incident, Deputy Fire Chief and CEMC Dale Gartshore left the role, after just one year on the job. The City says Fire Chief Jeff Weber is serving as acting CEMC as officials look to fill the role.
“To be very, very clear, I absolutely do not blame local fire personnel in any way, shape or form,” Dennis stated. “I blame the inappropriate structure which the CAO has created.
“Fire officials are busy fighting fires and saving lives — let fire professionals do their invaluable work and don’t burden them with another full-time job, and don’t use them as scapegoats.”
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