Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Saskatchewan
In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in ‘smaller communities’ of Saskatchewan was collected through the Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada (SEPR).Note 1Note 2Note 3 This fact sheet presents information on the risk awareness and level of emergency preparedness of the residents of Saskatchewan’s smaller communities, which could help improve the understanding of community resilience in the event of an emergency.Note 4
Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster
- People living in the smaller communities of Saskatchewan anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (93%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (78%), droughts (78%) and tornadoes (71%) as the most likely events to occur within their communities.
- Residents most commonly anticipated turning to their utility company in the event of an extended power outage (69%), and to a hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional in the event of a serious or life-threatening disease (67%). Residents also anticipated turning to police or law enforcement as an initial source for help and information if they were faced with an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (52%Note E: Use with caution), rioting or civil unrest (28%Note E: Use with caution) or an industrial or transportation accident (24%) (Table 1.1).
- Residents stated that local government was the most commonly anticipated source of initial help and information in the event of a contamination or shortage of water or food (40%), and news on the television in the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (22%).
Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disasterNote 5
- Close to one in four (38%) residents of the smaller communities of Saskatchewan has faced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community they were living in at the time of the event, two-thirds (67%) of whom reported experiencing severe disruptions to their daily activities as a result of the event.
- Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (38%Note E: Use with caution), floods (24%Note E: Use with caution) and winter storms which include blizzards and ice storms (24%Note E: Use with caution) were the most commonly experienced emergencies or disasters by residents of the smaller communities of Saskatchewan.
- The most common types of disruption to daily activities endured by residents who had experienced major emergencies or disasters included missing work or school (58%), boiling drinking water or drinking bottled water (54%), missing an appointment or planned activity (49%), an inability to use electrical appliances (47%) and an inability to use water at home for tasks (45%). More severe disruptions experienced were an inability to use roads or transportation within the community (33%Note E: Use with caution) or communicate outside of the home (10%Note E: Use with caution).
- Over three-quarters (77%) of residents who experienced an emergency or disaster were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event; half (51%) of whom resumed activities within two days or less.
- More than half (56%) of residents who had experienced an emergency or disaster received help during or immediately following the event, most commonly from a neighbour (38%Note E: Use with caution) or a friend (21%Note E: Use with caution).Note 6
- Four in ten (38%) residents of the smaller communities of Saskatchewan who experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time of the event and which was significant enough to disrupt their regular daily routine also endured a loss of property or financial impact.
Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours
- Nearly three-quarters (72%) of people residing in the smaller communities of Saskatchewan lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,Note 7 one-half (48%) lived in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). About one in ten (9%Note E: Use with caution) people lived in a household that had not participated in any emergency planning activities.
- Close to two-thirds (64%) lived in a household with at least two precautionary measuresNote 8 taken in case of an emergency, and more than one-third (36%) lived in a household with three or four such measures. One in ten (11%) people lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
- The vast majority (98%) of residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, and two-thirds (65%) reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher (Table 1.3). Nearly two out of three (64%) residents stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector in their household. Less than one-half (44%) of the residents of the smaller communities of Saskatchewan stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their households.
- Generally, the number of emergency planning activities and fire safety measures taken by residents of the smaller communities of Saskatchewan did not significantly differ from residents of Saskatchewan overall or Canada’s 10 provinces in general. Residents of smaller communities (11%), however, were less likely than residents of Saskatchewan (14%) and Canada (16%) to have no precautionary measures in place.Note 9
- There were some differences in the types of activities and measures in place by residents of the smaller communities of Saskatchewan when compared to residents of the province overall and Canada in general. For example, in terms of emergency planning activities, the proportion of residents in the smaller communities who had a contact plan for household members (61%) as well as a designated meeting place for household members (48%) was higher than those in Saskatchewan as a whole (57% and 40%, respectively) and Canada (55% and 33%, respectively). In addition, residents of the smaller communities of Saskatchewan were more likely to have an alternate water source (58%) and a back-up generator (39%) compared to residents of Saskatchewan and Canada in general.
Social networks and sense of belonging
- Six in ten (61%) residents of the smaller communities of Saskatchewan had a strong sense of belongingNote 10 to their community.
- Most (93%) residents described the neighbourhood they lived in as a place where neighbours generally help each other.Note 11 Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, most (81%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.Note 12
- Many individuals had a large network of support in the event of an emergency or disaster, with more than five people to turn to in the event of a home evacuation (71%), for emotional support (70%) and for help if physically injured (67%). About one-third (35%) of residents had a large support network if financial help was needed. However, 7%Note E: Use with caution reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
- High levels of sense of belonging, self-efficacy, neighbourhood trust and social support, as well as civic engagement, were often associated with a higher level of emergency preparedness (Table 1.4).
Data tables
Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster | percent |
---|---|
Weather-related emergency or natural disasterTable 1.1, Note 1 | |
News- Television | 22 |
News- Internet | 21 |
News- Radio | 21 |
Extended power outages | |
Utility company | 69 |
News- Radio | 11Note E: Use with caution |
Local government | 5Note E: Use with caution |
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease | |
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional | 67 |
News- Internet | 12Note E: Use with caution |
News- Radio | 9Note E: Use with caution |
Industrial or transportation accident | |
Police/law enforcement | 24 |
News- Radio | 19 |
News- Internet | 14Note E: Use with caution |
Contamination or shortage of water or foodTable 1.1, Note 2 | |
Local government | 40 |
News- Radio | 10Note E: Use with caution |
News- Television | 9Note E: Use with caution |
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat | |
Police/law enforcement | 52Note E: Use with caution |
Rioting or civil unrestTable 1.1, Note 1 | |
Police/law enforcement | 28Note E: Use with caution |
E use with caution
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014. |
Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents | Smaller communities of Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Number of emergency planning activities | |||
None | 9Note E: Use with caution | 9 | 8 |
1 activity | 16 | 18 | 17 |
2 activities | 24 | 26 | 25 |
3 activities | 32Table 1.2, Note * | 28 | 27 |
4 activities | 16 | 17 | 19 |
Number of precautionary measures | |||
None | 11Table 1.2, Note *** | 14 | 16 |
1 measure | 23 | 25 | 27 |
2 measures | 28 | 28 | 28 |
3 measures | 26Table 1.2, Note *** | 21 | 20 |
4 measures | 10Note E: Use with cautionTable 1.2, Note * | 8 | 7 |
Number of fire safety measuresTable 1.2, Note 1 | |||
None | Note F: too unreliable to be published | Note F: too unreliable to be published | 1 |
1 measure | 13Note E: Use with caution | 13 | 14 |
2 measures | 39 | 38 | 38 |
3 measures | 44 | 44 | 42 |
E use with caution F too unreliable to be published
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014. |
Residents whose households were involved in the following: | Smaller communities of Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Emergency planning activities | |||
Emergency exit plan | 65Table 1.3, Note * | 61 | 60 |
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 monthsTable 1.3, Note 1 | 49 | 45 | 46 |
Designated meeting place for household membersTable 1.3, Note 2 | 48Table 1.3, Note *** | 40 | 33 |
Contact plan for household membersTable 1.3, Note 2 | 61Table 1.3, Note *** | 57 | 55 |
Household emergency supply kit | 44 | 41 | 47 |
Vehicle emergency supply kitTable 1.3, Note 3 | 75Table 1.3, Note ** | 74 | 59 |
Extra copies of important documents | 49 | 52 | 53 |
List of emergency contact numbers | 68 | 66 | 69 |
Plan for meeting special health needsTable 1.3, Note 4 | 55 | 54 | 62 |
Precautionary measures | |||
Wind-up or battery-operated radio | 57 | 58 | 58 |
Alternate heat source | 47 | 44 | 48 |
Back-up generator | 39Table 1.3, Note *** | 30 | 23 |
Alternate water source | 58Table 1.3, Note *** | 48 | 43 |
OtherTable 1.3, Note 5 | 22 | 20 | 21 |
Fire safety measures | |||
Working smoke detector | 98 | 98 | 98 |
Working carbon monoxide detector | 64 | 66 | 60 |
Working fire extinguisher | 65 | 63 | 66 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014. |
Social and political involvement | Percentage of residents who had high or moderately high levels of... | ||
---|---|---|---|
Planning activities | Precautionary measures | Fire safety measures | |
percent | |||
Engagement in political activitiesTable 1.4, Note 1 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 49 | 39 | 43 |
NoTable 1.4, Note 7Table 1.4, Note 8Table 1.4, Note 9 | 41Note E: Use with caution | Note F: too unreliable to be published | 35Note E: Use with caution |
High level of civic engagementTable 1.4, Note 2 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 53 | 40 | 44 |
No | 40 | 24Note E: Use with cautionTable 1.4, Note * | 39 |
High level of social supportTable 1.4, Note 3 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 60 | 51 | 55 |
No | 42Table 1.4, Note * | 29Table 1.4, Note * | 38Table 1.4, Note * |
Strong sense of belonging to communityTable 1.4, Note 4 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 56 | 38 | 47 |
NoTable 1.4, Note 7 | 36Table 1.4, Note * | 34 | 37 |
High neighbourhood trustTable 1.4, Note 5 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 55 | 40 | 49 |
No | 41Table 1.4, Note * | 33 | 38 |
High level of self-efficacyTable 1.4, Note 6 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 58 | 43 | 43 |
NoTable 1.4, Note 7 | 38Table 1.4, Note * | 30Table 1.4, Note * | 43 |
E use with caution F too unreliable to be published
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014. |
Notes
E use with caution
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