A crisis situation, such as wildfire, flood or public safety concern, can arise with little to no notice. They can be stressful for both the responding personnel and the public. At RMA Insurance, we understand that these types of incidents are extremely difficult for our members to handle. On top of municipalities’ normal duties which persist during a crisis situation, a lot of municipalities’ resources must be allocated towards a quick and safe solution.
In response, we have created a Crisis Management Package with resources and tools to assist our members in understanding insurance coverage and limitations, as well as providing information to your ratepayers who may come to you for assistance and guidance.
Unfortunately, we cannot speak to your ratepayers directly, so we have specially crafted some of these resources for our members to utilize. You can attach your municipality’s letterhead and issue them directly to ratepayers who have question or who may try to make a claim against you to recover their losses.
Types of Crises: There are 3 types of crises that can occur. Understanding them can help you properly formulate a plan.
- Routine emergency: These are types of events that you can plan for based on past experiences, like a natural disaster.
- Crisis emergency: These types of events happen with little to no warning and can be challenging to prepare for, such as a mass casualty event.
- Emerging crisis: These are types of events that you may feel you have experienced, but the scope is much greater than a routine emergency. An example of this is COVID 19. A plan can be put in place, but it could be very situational.
Crisis Best Practices:
- Ensure safety: Prioritize the well-being of everyone involved.
- Establish a command center: Determine where the incident commander will be stationed for the event and implement Incident Command System (ICS) training objectives.
- Create a holding statement: News travels fast, so do your best to be in control of the narrative.
- Communicate internally: Before sharing a public statement, it’s important that you inform your internal team about the crisis and your plan moving forward. Internal staff should be well-informed about the situation directly from the organization.
- Have a business continuity plan: Have a strategic guide in place to help resume and maintain business functions during a disruption.
Municipal Tools (Not for public distribution)
Included in the package are some documents as a quick reference guide for municipalities.
- Municipal Public Relations Guide: This document is designed to assist in answering questions about denied claims which may be brought against you resulting from wildfire damage to ratepayers’ property. Included are tips for handling public relations with ratepayers.
- Claim Flow Chart: This chart helps navigate claims to determine which should be reported to RMA Insurance or declined by your municipality.
- Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) Denial Letter (SAMPLE): This letter can be issued by RMA Insurance, naming your municipality and the losses you wish to apply for. It can be sent with your DRP application to prove there is no insurance coverage available for the loss. Please contact risk@rmainsurance.com for more information.
- Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) Property Proof of Loss Form: This accompanies your application to DRP; fill out details of loss before submitting.
We are here for you!
We understand how stressful and complex a crisis situation can be. We are committed to helping your municipality get back to full strength as efficiently as possible.
More resources:
RMA Claims Form: This form can be completed on our website. This hassle-free form makes it easier for you to send us the information we need to get your claim started quickly.
Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA): AEMA leads the coordination and co-operation of all organizations involved in emergencies and disasters including:
- prevention
- preparedness
- response
- recovery
Alberta Health Services (AHS): AHS is vital in collaborating in the event of injuries.