Fact sheet
Community of Fredericton (CA), New Brunswick Fact sheet
Community of Fredericton (CA), New Brunswick

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Agglomeration^{Note 1} of Fredericton was collected through the Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada (SEPR).^{Note 2} This fact sheet presents information on the risk awareness and level of emergency preparedness of the residents of Fredericton, which could help improve the understanding of community resilience in the event of an emergency.^{Note 3}^{Note 4}

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

People living in Fredericton anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) as the event most likely to occur within their community (97%). Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (87%), floods (69%) and wildfires or forest fires (64%) were among the other events that residents of Fredericton identified as likely to occur within their community.
Residents commonly anticipated turning to news on the radio as an initial source for help and information in the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (34%), an industrial or transportation accident (33%) or a contamination or shortage of water or food (20%^{Note E: Use with caution}) (Table 1.1). News from the radio was the second most commonly anticipated source for initial help and information in the event of an extended power outage (14%) following utility companies (62%), as well as in the event of an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease (22%) following hospitals, clinics, doctors or other medical professionals (47%). Residents of Fredericton most frequently indicated that news on the television (33%) would be their initial source for help and information in the event of an act of terrorism or terrorist threat, while in the event of rioting or civil unrest, police (45%) were the most commonly anticipated source.

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^{Note 5}

One in three (32%) residents of Fredericton have personally experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For the majority (83%) of these people, the event was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
Residents affected by major emergencies or disasters most commonly experienced floods (44%), winter storms including blizzards and ice storms (28%^{Note E: Use with caution}), and extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (28%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
The most common disruptions to daily life experienced by residents included missing work or school (64%), missing an appointment or a planned activity (51%) and a need to boil drinking water or drink bottled water (46%). Other more severe disruptions included an inability to use roads or transportation within the community (41%) and home evacuation (25%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
About three-quarters (76%) of residents who had experienced a major emergency were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event (16%^{Note E: Use with caution} within 24 hours, 24%^{Note E: Use with caution} within one to two days, 26%^{Note E: Use with caution} within three to five days, and 10%^{Note E: Use with caution} within six to seven days).
More than half (57%) of emergency victims received help during or immediately following the event. Family members (26%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and friends (17%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were most often the sources of assistance.^{Note 6}
Nearly one-third (32%^{Note E: Use with caution}) of individuals in Fredericton affected by a major emergency or disaster which was significant enough to disrupt their regular daily routines experienced a loss of property or another financial impact.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Seven out of ten (71%) residents of Fredericton lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 7} with close to half (46%) living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). One in ten (10%) lived in a household that had not engaged in any emergency planning activities.
Three in five (60%) people lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 8} taken in the event of an emergency, with more than one-quarter (29%) living in a household with three or four such measures. One in eight (13%) residents lived in a household that had not engaged in any precautionary measures.
Most (98%) residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, while nearly three-quarters (73%) reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher and one in three (35%) stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector within their household (Table 1.3). About one in four (27%) people stated that they had taken all three fire safety measures within their households.
Generally, engagement in emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures by residents of Fredericton did not differ significantly from the behaviours reported by residents of New Brunswick overall and of residents of Canada’s 10 provinces as a whole, in terms of the number of measures taken.
Some differences were observed in the types of activities and measures taken by residents of Fredericton when compared to the types taken by residents of New Brunswick in general and by Canadians. For example, residents of Fredericton were less likely to have a household emergency supply kit (41%) compared to all New Brunswick residents (48%) and residents of Canada overall (47%). Although residents of Fredericton were less likely to have a working carbon monoxide detector (35%) within their home compared with the proportion of Canadians (60%), they were more likely to have a wind-up or battery-operated radio (69% versus 58%).^{Note 9}

Social networks and sense of belonging

Three out of five (60%) residents of Fredericton had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 10} to their community.
Most (88%) residents in Fredericton described their neighbourhood as a place where neighbours generally help each other.^{Note 11} Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, most (90%) people still characterized their neighbourhood as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.
Approximately two-thirds of residents had a large network of support in the event of an emergency or disaster, with more than five people to turn to for help if physically injured (69%), for emotional support (68%), or in the event of a home evacuation (61%). About a quarter (26%) of residents had more than five people to turn to for financial support in the event of an emergency. However, 6%^{Note E: Use with caution} reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
High levels of social support, as well as civic engagement and involvement in political activities were sometimes associated with a higher level of emergency preparedness (Table 1.4).

Data tables

Table 1.1
Most commonly anticipated sources of initial help and information, by type of emergency or disaster, residents of Fredericton, New Brunswick 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Most commonly anticipated sources of initial help and information. The information is grouped by Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster (appearing as row headers), percent (appearing as column headers).
Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster	percent
Weather-related emergency or natural disaster
News- Radio	34
News- Internet	28
News- Television	25
Extended power outages
Utility company	62
News- Radio	14
News- Internet	10^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	47
News- Radio	22
News- Television	20^{Note E: Use with caution}
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	33
News- Internet	20^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	20^{Note E: Use with caution}
Contamination or shortage of water or food^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
News- Radio	20^{Note E: Use with caution}
Local government	18^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Internet	18^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Television	33
Police/law enforcement	32^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	27^{Note E: Use with caution}
Rioting or civil unrest
Police/law enforcement	45
News- Television	26^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	25^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution Table 1.1, Note 1. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked about their likely sources of initial help and information. Return to Table 1.1, note 1 referrer Note: Respondents who perceived their community was at risk for any form of emergency or disaster were then asked where they would turn to first for information or assistance in the event of the perceived emergency or disaster. Respondents could provide more than one response. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.2
Number of emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents, community of Fredericton, New Brunswick, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Number of emergency planning activities. The information is grouped by Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents (appearing as row headers), Fredericton, New Brunswick and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents	Fredericton	New Brunswick	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	10	10	8
1 activity	17	15	17
2 activities	25	27	25
3 activities	30	28	27
4 activities	16	19	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	13	10	16
1 measure	26	24	27
2 measures	31	28	28
3 measures	22	26	20
4 measures	7^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note *}	11	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2, Note 1}^{Table 1.2, Note 2}
None	Note F: too unreliable to be published	1^{Note E: Use with caution}	1
1 measure	14	17	14
2 measures	52^{Table 1.2, Note **}	50	38
3 measures	27^{Table 1.2, Note **}	27	42
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published Table 1.2, Note * significantly different from provincial level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2, note * referrer Table 1.2, Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2, note referrer Table 1.2, Note 1. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Canada'. Return to Table 1.2, note 1 referrer Table 1.2, Note 2. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Fredericton'. Return to Table 1.2, note 2 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Emergency planning activities include: an emergency exit plan, an emergency supply kit, photocopies/electronic copies of important documents and a list of emergency contact numbers. Precautionary measures include: a battery-operated or wind-up radio, an alternative heat source, a back-up generator and an alternative water source. Fire safety measures include a working smoke detector, a working carbon monoxide detector and a working fire extinguisher. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.3
Planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures residents engaged in, community of Fredericton, New Brunswick, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Planning activities. The information is grouped by Residents whose households were involved in the following: (appearing as row headers), Fredericton, New Brunswick and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Fredericton	New Brunswick	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	66^{Table 1.3, Note **}	65	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	44	46	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	36	38	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	52	53	55
Household emergency supply kit	41^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	48	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	66^{Table 1.3, Note **}	61	59
Extra copies of important documents	52	51	53
List of emergency contact numbers	67	67	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	66	66	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	69^{Table 1.3, Note **}	66	58
Alternate heat source	46	51	48
Back-up generator	20^{Table 1.3, Note *}	30	23
Alternate water source	47^{Table 1.3, Note *}	56	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	28^{Table 1.3, Note **}	25	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	98	98	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	35^{Table 1.3, Note **}	35	60
Working fire extinguisher	73^{Table 1.3, Note **}	72	66
Table 1.3, Note * significantly different from provincial level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3, note * referrer Table 1.3, Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3, note referrer Table 1.3, Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3, note * referrer Table 1.3, Note 1. Percentage based only on those indicating that they have an emergency exit plan. Return to Table 1.3, note 1 referrer Table 1.3, Note 2. Excludes Canadians living in single-person households. Return to Table 1.3, note 2 referrer Table 1.3, Note 3. Excludes those who reported that they lived in a household that did not have a vehicle. Return to Table 1.3, note 3 referrer Table 1.3, Note 4. Percentage based only on those indicating that they or someone in their household has special medical needs. Return to Table 1.3, note 4 referrer Table 1.3, Note 5. 'Other precautionary measures' include having an escape/rescue plan for pets, extra supply of fuel, checking and replenishing emergency supplies, and keeping exits clear. Return to Table 1.3, note 5 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.4
High or moderately high levels of emergency planning, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents, by social and political involvement, community of Fredericton, New Brunswick, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of High or moderately high levels of emergency planning. The information is grouped by Social and political involvement (appearing as row headers), Percentage of residents who had high or moderately high levels of..., Planning activities, Precautionary measures and Fire safety measures, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
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 activities^{Table 1.4, Note 1}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	51	27	28
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	31^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	36^{Note E: Use with caution}	21^{Note E: Use with caution}
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	51	28	32
No^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	41	28	21^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	51	41	26^{Note E: Use with caution}
No^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	44	25^{Table 1.4, Note *}	27
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note 8}^{Table 1.4, Note †}	50	32	23
No	41	24	32
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	49	33	25
No^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	43	24	27
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	51	30	30
No^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	41	27	21
^E use with caution Table 1.4, Note * significantly different from reference category (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.4, note * referrer Table 1.4, Note † reference category Return to Table 1.4, note † referrer Table 1.4, Note 1. Includes individuals over the age of 17 years who are eligible to vote, and who have participated in or volunteered for political parties or events in the past 12 months, including municipal, provincial, or federal elections, or expressed views on political or social issues through signing a petition, contacting news agencies or politicians, or attended a meeting involving social or community issues. Return to Table 1.4, note 1 referrer Table 1.4, Note 2. Civic engagement measures individuals over the age of 17 years who were involved in a recreational group or organization in the past 12 months, and includes engagement in political activities. A 'high level' is defined as having been involved in at least 4 activities in the past 12 months. Return to Table 1.4, note 2 referrer Table 1.4, Note 3. A 'high level of social support' is defined as having five or more people whom that individual could turn to for help in an emergency if they are physically injured, require emotional support, shelter, and/or financial assistance. Return to Table 1.4, note 3 referrer Table 1.4, Note 4. A 'strong sense of belonging to community' is rating one's own sense of belonging to their community as a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "very weak" and 5 "very strong". Return to Table 1.4, note 4 referrer Table 1.4, Note 5. 'High neighbourhood trust' is rating one's own trust in the people in one's neighbourhood as 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "cannot be trusted at all" and 5 represents "can be trusted a lot", as well as having a response of "very likely" when asked about the likelihood of someone in their neighbourhood returning a lost wallet or purse containing two hundred dollars with the money still inside. Return to Table 1.4, note 5 referrer Table 1.4, Note 6. A 'high level of self-efficacy' is derived from having a high self-rating on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) for the following three categories: an ability to think clearly and solve day-to-day problems, to handle unexpected and difficult problems, and to figure out what to do if faced with an emergency situation. Return to Table 1.4, note 6 referrer Table 1.4, Note 7. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Planning activities'. Return to Table 1.4, note 7 referrer Table 1.4, Note 8. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Fire safety measures'. Return to Table 1.4, note 8 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Households with ‘moderately high’ or ‘high’ levels of emergency planning engaged in 3 or 4 of the following: having an exit plan, an emergency supply kit, extra copies of important documents and an emergency contact list. 'Moderately high' or 'high' levels of precautionary measures include having 3 or 4 of the following: a wind-up or battery operated radio, a back-up generator, an alternate source of heat and additional water. 'Moderately high' or 'high' levels of fire safety measure include having all 3 of the following: a working smoke detector, a working fire extinguisher, and a working carbon monoxide detector. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Notes

^E use with caution

Footnote 1.

A Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) or a Census Agglomeration (CA) is formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre (known as the core). A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the core. A CA must have a core population of at least 10,000. To be included in the CMA or CA, other adjacent municipalities must have a high degree of integration with the core as measured by commuting flows derived from census data.

Return to note 1 referrer

Footnote 2.

The target population for the SEPR included all persons 15 years of age or older, residing in households in Canada’s 10 provinces, excluding full-time residents of institutions (e.g. nursing homes, group homes, hospitals).

Return to note 2 referrer

Footnote 3.

The SEPR covers three types of communities: Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), Census Agglomerations (CAs) with population greater than 50,000, and ‘smaller communities’ which include CAs with population 50,000 or less and those areas that fall outside of CMAs and CAs. All CMAs and CAs (with population greater than 50,000) were included in the SEPR. A sample of households were selected from smaller communities within each province to represent all households within the province in similar communities. Additional information on the SEPR and its sampling methodology can be found in the ‘Survey description’ section.

Return to note 3 referrer

Footnote 4.

Throughout this fact sheet, responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents.

Return to note 4 referrer

Footnote 5.

This section focuses on personal experiences with emergencies or disasters that happened in Canada, in a community where the person was living at the time, and was significant enough to severely interrupt the individual’s regular daily activities.

Return to note 5 referrer

Footnote 6.

Responses of ‘don’t know/not stated’ were greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked about the source of information or assistance they received during or immediately following the emergency they experienced.

Return to note 6 referrer

Footnote 7.

Emergency planning activities include: having an emergency exit plan, a household emergency supply kit, extra copies of important documents and an emergency contact list.

Return to note 7 referrer

Footnote 8.

Precautionary measures include: having a wind-up or battery-operated radio, an alternate heat source such as a non-electric stove or heater or a wood-burning fireplace, a back-up generator and an alternative water source such as a well, tank or litres of stored water.

Return to note 8 referrer

Footnote 9.

Unless otherwise specified, differences are statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Return to note 9 referrer

Footnote 10.

A 'strong sense of belonging to community' is rating one's own sense of belonging to their community as a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "very weak" and 5 "very strong".

Return to note 10 referrer

Footnote 11.

A proportion (10%) of respondents were not asked questions regarding neighbourhood helpfulness in the event of an emergency and as such these cases are not included in the analysis on neighbourhood helpfulness in general or in the event of an emergency.

Return to note 11 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Community of Fredericton (CA), New Brunswick Fact sheet
Community of Fredericton (CA), New Brunswick

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^{Note 5}

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Social networks and sense of belonging

Data tables

Notes

Fact sheetCommunity of Fredericton (CA), New Brunswick Fact sheetCommunity of Fredericton (CA), New Brunswick

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disasterNote 5

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Social networks and sense of belonging

Data tables

Notes

Note of appreciation

Standards of service to the public

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Fact sheet
Community of Fredericton (CA), New Brunswick Fact sheet
Community of Fredericton (CA), New Brunswick

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^{Note 5}