Fact sheet
Community of Saint John (CMA), New Brunswick Fact sheet
Community of Saint John (CMA), New Brunswick

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Metropolitan Area^{Note 1} of Saint John was collected through the Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience (SEPR).^{Note 2} This fact sheet presents information on the risk awareness and the level of emergency preparedness of the residents of Saint John, 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

Most residents of Saint John anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) as the event most likely to occur within their community (96%). Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (87%) and industrial or transportation accidents (72%) were other emergencies or disasters that residents anticipated were 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 an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (39%), an industrial or transportation accident (38%), a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (37%) or a contamination or shortage of water or food (32%) (Table 1.1). Half of residents of Saint John would turn to their utility company (50%) first in the event of an extended power outage, followed by news on the radio (19%). More than half would turn to hospitals, clinics, doctors or other medical professionals (52%) in the event of an outbreak of a serious illness or life-threatening disease, followed by news on the radio (27%). Police (41%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were named as the most common source of initial help and information in the event of rioting or civil unrest.

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

Close to half of residents of Saint John (47%) have personally experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For the majority (87%) of these people, the event was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
Residents of Saint John who were affected by major emergencies most commonly experienced winter storms which include blizzards and ice storms (52%) as well as extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (50%).
Residents were often unable to use electrical appliances (79%), had to drink bottled water or boil drinking water (65%), or were unable to use water at home for routine tasks (62%). More severe disruptions experienced included home evacuation (27%), an inability to use roads or transportation within the community (21%) or an inability to communicate with others outside the home (17%).
The majority of residents (81%) were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event (19%^{Note E: Use with caution} within 24 hours, 20% within one to two days, 27% within three to five days, and 14%^{Note E: Use with caution} within six to seven days).
More than half of residents received assistance during or immediately following the event (56%). Family members (53%) and neighbours (23%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were most often the source of help.^{Note 6}
Nearly a third (31%) of individuals in Saint John affected by a major emergency or disaster which was significant enough to disrupt their regular daily activities experienced a loss of property or another financial impact. Other long-term impacts, such as emotional or psychological consequences (6%^{Note E: Use with caution}), were not commonly experienced.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Three-quarters (73%) of residents of Saint John lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 7} while close to half lived in households with three or four such activities (45%) (Table 1.2). Less than one in ten (8%^{Note E: Use with caution}) lived in a household that had not engaged in any emergency planning activities.
Seven out of ten (70%) residents lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 8} taken in the event of an emergency, and more than four in ten (44%) lived in a household with three or four such measures. About one in ten (9%^{Note E: Use with caution}) residents lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
Most residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector (98%), nearly three-quarters reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher (73%), and two in five stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector within their household (39%) (Table 1.3). One-third of the residents stated that they had taken all three fire safety measures within their households (31%).
There were some significant differences in the number of precautionary and fire safety measures taken by residents of Saint John when compared to residents of New Brunswick and Canada’s 10 provinces as a whole. For example, the proportion of those in Saint John who had all four precautionary measures in place (16%) was significantly higher than the proportion of those in New Brunswick (11%) and Canada (7%). However, the proportion of Saint John residents who had all three fire safety measures in place was significantly lower than the proportion of Canadians (31% versus 42%).^{Note 9}
Similarly, some types of activities and measures taken by the residents of Saint John differed from New Brunswick and Canada overall. For example, residents of Saint John were significantly more likely to have a wind-up or battery-operated radio or an alternate water source than provincial and national levels. In addition, they were more likely to have a designated meeting place for household members (41%), an alternate heat source (54%) and a working fire extinguisher (73%) than Canadians (33%, 48% and 66%, respectively). They were, however, significantly less likely to have a working carbon monoxide detector than Canadians (39% versus 60%).

Social networks and sense of belonging

Three out of five (59%) residents of Saint John had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 10} to their community.
Most residents described their neighbourhood as a place where neighbours generally help each other (92%).^{Note 11} Of those who did not characterize their neighbourhood this way, the majority (85%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.^{Note 12}
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 (66%), for help if physically injured (66%) or in the event of a home evacuation (64%). Fewer people could count on this degree of financial support if faced with a major emergency, with one-third (32%) of residents having more than five people to turn to for financial support.^{Note 13} However, only 8% reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
High levels of sense of belonging, self-efficacy and social support as well as civic engagement 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 Saint John, 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	37
News- Television	16
Family	15
Extended power outages
Utility company	50
News- Radio	19
Family	13
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	52
News- Radio	27
News- Television	17^{Note E: Use with caution}
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	38
Police/law enforcement	14
News- Internet	14
Contamination or shortage of water or food
News- Radio	32
Local government	24
News- Internet	15^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Radio	39
Police/law enforcement	30
News- Television	20^{Note E: Use with caution}
Rioting or civil unrest
Police/law enforcement	41^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	31^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	17^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution 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 Saint John, 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), Saint John, 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	Saint John	New Brunswick	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	8^{Note E: Use with caution}	10	8
1 activity	16	15	17
2 activities	28	27	25
3 activities	26	28	27
4 activities	19	19	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	9^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note **}	10	16
1 measure	19^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	24	27
2 measures	26	28	28
3 measures	28^{Table 1.2, Note **}	26	20
4 measures	16^{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	17^{Table 1.2, Note **}	17	14
2 measures	45^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	50	38
3 measures	31^{Table 1.2, Note **}	27	42
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.2, note referrer Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.2, note * referrer 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 2. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Saint John'. 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 Saint John, New Brunswick, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Planning activities. The information is grouped by Residents whose household were involved in the following: (appearing as row headers), Saint John, New Brunswick and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Saint John	New Brunswick	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	63	65	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	47	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}	52	53	55
Household emergency supply kit	52	48	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	65^{Table 1.3, Note **}	61	59
Extra copies of important documents	48	51	53
List of emergency contact numbers	68	67	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	62	66	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	75^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	66	58
Alternate heat source	54^{Table 1.3, Note **}	51	48
Back-up generator	29^{Table 1.3, Note **}	30	23
Alternate water source	63^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	56	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	27^{Table 1.3, Note **}	25	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	98	98	98
Working carbon monoxide detector^{Table 1.3, Note 6}	39^{Table 1.3, Note **}	35	60
Working fire extinguisher	73^{Table 1.3, Note **}	72	66
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 6. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Saint John'. Return to table 1.3, note 6 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 Saint John, 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 †}	46	44	34
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	39^{Note E: Use with caution}	41	24^{Note E: Use with caution}
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	47	46	36
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note 9}	42	38	25^{Table 1.4, Note *}
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	58	53	43
No	39^{Table 1.4, Note *}	41^{Table 1.4, Note *}	27^{Table 1.4, Note *}
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	49	50	33
No^{Table 1.4, Note 9}	37^{Table 1.4, Note *}	39^{Table 1.4, Note *}	29
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note 9}^{Table 1.4, Note †}	47	50	35
No	43	42	30
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note 9}^{Table 1.4, Note †}	52	46	36
No	36^{Table 1.4, Note *}	44	27
^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 'Precautionary measures'. Return to table 1.4, note 7 referrer Note 8. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were equal to 14% for 'Fire safety measures'. Return to table 1.4, note 8 referrer Note 9. 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 9 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 (17%) 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

Footnote 12.

Responses of ‘don't know/not stated’ were greater than 5% but not above 10% 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 12 referrer

Footnote 13.

Responses of ‘don't know/not stated’ were greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked about the number of people they could turn to for help if financial support is needed.

Return to note 13 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Community of Saint John (CMA), New Brunswick Fact sheet
Community of Saint John (CMA), 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 Saint John (CMA), New Brunswick Fact sheetCommunity of Saint John (CMA), 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 Saint John (CMA), New Brunswick Fact sheet
Community of Saint John (CMA), New Brunswick

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