Fact sheet
Community of Sarnia (CA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Sarnia (CA), Ontario

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Agglomeration^{Note 1} of Sarnia 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 Sarnia, 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

Winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (92%), industrial or transportation accidents (92%) and extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (79%) were named by residents of Sarnia as the events most likely to occur in their community.
Residents most commonly anticipated turning to news on the radio as an initial source for help and information if they were faced with a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (57%), an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (54%), or an industrial or transportation accident (53%). Residents also reported that they would first turn to news on the radio in the event of rioting or civil unrest (46%^{Note E: Use with caution}), a contamination or shortage of water or food (44%), or an extended power outage (38%) (Table 1.1).
The majority of residents (54%) most commonly anticipated turning to a hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional in the event of an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease.

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

Half (50%) of Sarnia residents have faced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community they were living in at the time of the event, seven in ten (69%) of whom reported experiencing severe disruptions to their daily activities as a result of the event.
Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (52%) were the most commonly experienced emergency or disaster by residents of Sarnia. Past experience with winter storms (including blizzards and ice storms) (31%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and industrial or transportation accidents (12%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were less common.
The most common types of disruption to daily activities endured by residents who had experienced major emergencies or disasters included an inability to use electrical appliances (64%), missing school or work (53%), and an inability to heat or cool the home (51%). A more severe, but less frequent, disruption experienced included an inability to use roads or transportation within the community (27%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
Approximately nine in ten (88%) residents who experienced an emergency or disaster were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event; seven in ten (71%) within two days or less.
About four in ten (42%) residents who had experienced an emergency or disaster received help during or immediately following the event, most commonly from neighbours (25%^{Note E: Use with caution}) or family (23%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
Over one-quarter (28%^{Note E: Use with caution}) of residents of Sarnia 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

Just over three-quarters (78%) of people residing in Sarnia lived in a household that was engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 6} with approximately one-half (52%) living in a household with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). A small proportion (5%^{Note E: Use with caution}) of people lived in a household that had not participated in any emergency planning activities.
Over half (56%) lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 7} taken in case of an emergency, but less than one-quarter (23%) lived in a household with three or four such measures. Close to one in ten (9%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
The majority (99%) of residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, and seven in ten (70%) reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher (Table 1.3). Over three-quarters (77%) of residents stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector in their household. More than half (56%) of Sarnia residents stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their household.
For the most part, the number of emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents of Sarnia did not significantly differ from residents of Ontario. When compared to those residing in Canada’s 10 provinces, however, residents of Sarnia were significantly more likely to have engaged in all four emergency planning activities (25% versus 19%) and implemented all three fire safety measures (56% versus 42%).^{Note 8}
When differences existed in the types of activities and measures set in place by residents of Sarnia compared to Ontarians and Canadians in general, it was often due to Sarnia residents being significantly more likely to have engaged in selected activities or measures. For instance, residents of Sarnia were more likely to have an emergency exit plan, a vehicle emergency supply kit, as well as a wind-up or battery-operated radio than those in Ontario and Canada. The exception, however, was that Sarnia residents were less likely to have an alternate water source than Ontarians and Canadians.

Social networks and sense of belonging

Nearly six in ten (59%) of Sarnia’s residents had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 9} to their community.
Most (86%) residents described the neighbourhood they lived in as a place where neighbours generally help each other.^{Note 10} Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, most (87%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.
Many individuals 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 (66%), for emotional support (64%) and in the event of a home evacuation (59%). About one-third of residents had a large support network if financial help was needed (32%). However, 14% reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
High levels of sense of belonging, self-efficacy, social support and neighbourhood trust 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 Sarnia, Ontario, 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	57
News- Television	21
News- Internet	17
Extended power outages^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
News- Radio	38
Utility company	28
Family	12^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	54
News- Radio	34
News- Television	19^{Note E: Use with caution}
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	53
News- Television	16
Police/law enforcement	15
Contamination or shortage of water or food^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
News- Radio	44
Local government	15^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Internet	15^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Radio	54
Police/law enforcement	26
News- Television	22
Rioting or civil unrest
News- Radio	46^{Note E: Use with caution}
Police/law enforcement	26^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	18^{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 Sarnia, Ontario, 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), Sarnia, Ontario and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents	Sarnia	Ontario	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	5^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note **}	8	8
1 activity	14	16	17
2 activities	26	25	25
3 activities	27	28	27
4 activities	25^{Table 1.2, Note **}	21	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	9^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	15	16
1 measure	31	28	27
2 measures	33	29	28
3 measures	17	20	20
4 measures	6^{Note E: Use with caution}	6	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2, Note 1}
None	Note F: too unreliable to be published	Note F: too unreliable to be published	1
1 measure	7^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note **}	7	14
2 measures	34	35	38
3 measures	56^{Table 1.2, Note **}	53	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, community of Sarnia, Ontario, 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), Sarnia, Ontario and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Sarnia	Ontario	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	70^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	63	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	45	47	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	37	30	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	60	57	55
Household emergency supply kit	47	47	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	69^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	62	59
Extra copies of important documents	59^{Table 1.3, Note **}	56	53
List of emergency contact numbers	73	71	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	67	61	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	71^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	59	58
Alternate heat source	45	46	48
Back-up generator	24	20	23
Alternate water source	37^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	44	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	25	22	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	99	99	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	77^{Table 1.3, Note **}	80	60
Working fire extinguisher	70	64	66
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 Sarnia, Ontario, 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 †}	54	24	59
No	45^{Note E: Use with caution}	24^{Note E: Use with caution}	55
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	55	27	63
No	48	19^{Note E: Use with caution}	52
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note 8}^{Table 1.4, Note †}	66	25^{Note E: Use with caution}	62
No	48^{Table 1.4, Note *}	23	53
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	59	28	59
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	44^{Table 1.4, Note *}	16^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	50
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	56	35	61
No	52	14^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	51
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	58	29	63
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	48	16^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	48^{Table 1.4, Note *}
^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 'Precautionary measures'. 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.

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 (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 10 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Community of Sarnia (CA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Sarnia (CA), Ontario

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 Sarnia (CA), Ontario Fact sheetCommunity of Sarnia (CA), Ontario

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 Sarnia (CA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Sarnia (CA), Ontario

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