Fact sheet
Smaller communities of New Brunswick Fact sheet
Smaller communities of New Brunswick

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the ‘smaller communities’ of New Brunswick was collected through the Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada (SEPR).^{Note 1}^{Note 2}^{Note 3} This fact sheet presents information on the risk awareness and level of emergency preparedness of the residents of New Brunswick’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

Residents of smaller communities of New Brunswick anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (94%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (74%), and wildfires or forest fires (68%) as the events most likely to occur within their communities.
The source of initial help that residents would turn to in an emergency depended on the type of emergency or disaster. In the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster, residents anticipated first turning to news on the radio (21%), while in the event of an extended power outage lasting 24 hours or longer, a utility company (71%) was most commonly reported as the place residents would turn to initially (Table 1.1). People commonly anticipated turning to the police first if rioting or civil unrest (46%), an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (36%^{Note E: Use with caution}), or an industrial or transportation accident (22%) were to occur. In the event of an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease, residents of smaller communities of New Brunswick would commonly first turn to hospitals, clinics, doctors and other medical professionals (65%), while local government (32%) was commonly anticipated to be the initial source of help if faced with a contamination or shortage of water or food.

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

About one in four (24%) residents of smaller communities of New Brunswick has experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time. About three-quarters (76%) of those affected by a major emergency experienced severe disruptions to their daily activities as a result.
Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (35%) were the most common emergencies or disasters experienced, followed by winter storms (including blizzards and ice storms) (28%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and floods (18%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
The most common types of disruption to daily activities endured by residents affected by emergencies included missing appointments or planned activities (53%), needing to drink bottled water or boil water for drinking (52%) and an inability to use electrical appliances (50%). Other severe impacts experienced were the inability to use roads or transportation within the community (33%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and home evacuations (19%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
Approximately three out of four (76%) residents who endured major emergencies were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event; just under half (46%) were able to resume activities within two days.
Close to half (47%) of residents received help during or immediately following the emergency or disaster. Family members (27%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were the most common source of assistance.
For one-third (33%) of residents of New Brunswick’s smaller communities who experienced a major emergency or disaster which was significant enough to disrupt their regular daily routines, the event resulted in loss of property or another financial impact.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Three-quarters (75%) of residents of smaller communities of New Brunswick lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 6} with half (50%) living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). One in ten (10%) residents did not have any emergency planning activities in place in their homes.
About seven in ten (69%) residents lived in households with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 7} taken in case of an emergency. Among them were those who had three or four such measures, representing 42% of residents of smaller communities of New Brunswick. Less than one in ten (7%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
A majority (98%) of residents reported living in households with a working smoke detector and 74% reported living in households with a working fire extinguisher (Table 1.3). About one in three (34%) stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector in their household. Just over one-quarter (27%) of residents stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their households.
The number of fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents of smaller communities in New Brunswick often differed from residents of the province overall and Canada’s 10 provinces. For example, the proportion of residents of the smaller communities of New Brunswick who had not engaged in any precautionary measures (7%^{Note E: Use with caution}) was significantly lower than both the provincial proportion (10%) and the national proportion (16%). In addition, the proportion of residents who had all three fire safety measures in place (27%) was significantly lower than the overall national proportion (42%).^{Note 8}
The types of activities and measures residents of smaller communities of New Brunswick engaged in also differed from residents of the province in general and from residents of Canada. For example, the proportions of those who had a back-up generator (36%) or an alternate water source (60%) within the smaller communities were significantly higher than those for New Brunswick in general (30% and 56%, respectively) and Canada overall (23% and 43%, respectively). Conversely, the proportion of people within the smaller communities who had a working carbon monoxide detector (34%) was significantly lower than the proportion for Canadians overall (60%).

Social networks and sense of belonging

Two out of three (67%) people in New Brunswick’s smaller communities had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 9} to their community.
Most (91%) residents believed the neighbourhood they lived in was a place where neighbours generally help each other.^{Note 10} Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, the majority (82%) still characterized it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.^{Note 11}
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 emotional support (68%), for help if physically injured (66%), or in case of a home evacuation (65%). About a quarter had more than five people they could turn to if financial help was needed (26%). However, 9% reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
High levels of social support, as well as neighbourhood trust and self-efficacy were often 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 smaller communities of 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^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
News- Radio	21
911	18
News- Internet	16
Extended power outages
Utility company	71
News- Radio	9^{Note E: Use with caution}
Local government	8^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	65
News- Radio	10^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	9^{Note E: Use with caution}
Industrial or transportation accident
Police/law enforcement	22
911	21
News- Radio	13^{Note E: Use with caution}
Contamination or shortage of water or food^{Table 1.1, Note 2}
Local government	32
Provincial government	11^{Note E: Use with caution}
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	9^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
Police/law enforcement	36^{Note E: Use with caution}
911	30^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	17^{Note E: Use with caution}
Rioting or civil unrest
Police/law enforcement	46
911	24^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	15^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution 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 2. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were equal to 11% for sources of initial help and information. Return to table 1.1, note 2 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, smaller communities of 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), Smaller communities of New Brunswick, 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	Smaller communities of New Brunswick	New Brunswick	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	10	10	8
1 activity	13^{Table 1.2, Note **}	15	17
2 activities	25	27	25
3 activities	29	28	27
4 activities	21	19	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	7^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	10	16
1 measure	23	24	27
2 measures	27	28	28
3 measures	30^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	26	20
4 measures	12^{Table 1.2, Note **}	11	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2, Note 1}
None	Note F: too unreliable to be published	1^{Note E: Use with caution}	1
1 measure	16	17	14
2 measures	53^{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 Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.2, note referrer Table 1.2, Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (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 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, smaller communities of 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), Smaller communities of New Brunswick, New Brunswick and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Smaller communities of New Brunswick	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}	46	46	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	41^{Table 1.3, Note **}	38	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	54	53	55
Household emergency supply kit	51	48	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	56^{Table 1.3, Note *}	61	59
Extra copies of important documents	51	51	53
List of emergency contact numbers	68	67	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	68	66	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	64^{Table 1.3, Note **}	66	58
Alternate heat source	56^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	51	48
Back-up generator	36^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	30	23
Alternate water source	60^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	56	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	23	25	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	98	98	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	34^{Table 1.3, Note **}	35	60
Working fire extinguisher	74^{Table 1.3, Note **}	72	66
Note * significantly different from provincial level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.3, note * referrer Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.3, note referrer Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.3, note * referrer Note 1. Percentage based only on those indicating that they have an emergency exit plan. Return to table 1.3, note 1 referrer Note 2. Excludes Canadians living in single-person households. Return to table 1.3, note 2 referrer 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 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 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, smaller communities of 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 †}	48	42	27
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	56	42^{Note E: Use with caution}	24^{Note E: Use with caution}
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	50	44	29
No	49	38	23
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	60	55	29^{Note E: Use with caution}
No	46^{Table 1.4, Note *}	38^{Table 1.4, Note *}	26
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	53	44	29
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	42	36	21^{Note E: Use with caution}
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	49	51	27
No	50	33^{Table 1.4, Note *}	26
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	58	49	33
No	43^{Table 1.4, Note *}	36^{Table 1.4, Note *}	22^{Table 1.4, Note *}
^E use with caution Note * significantly different from reference category (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.4, note * referrer Note † reference category Return to table 1.4, note † referrer 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 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 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 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 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 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 Note 7. 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 7 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.

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 1 referrer

Footnote 2.

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 2 referrer

Footnote 3.

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 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.

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 6 referrer

Footnote 7.

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 7 referrer

Footnote 8.

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

Return to note 8 referrer

Footnote 9.

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 9 referrer

Footnote 10.

A proportion (9%) 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 10 referrer

Footnote 11.

Responses of ‘don't know/not stated’ were equal to 9% when respondents were asked about whether their neighbourhood is a place where neighbours would help each other if there is an emergency.

Return to note 11 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Smaller communities of New Brunswick Fact sheet
Smaller communities of 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 sheetSmaller communities of New Brunswick Fact sheetSmaller communities of 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

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Fact sheet
Smaller communities of New Brunswick Fact sheet
Smaller communities of New Brunswick

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