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

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Agglomeration^{Note 1} of Belleville 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 Belleville, 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) (94%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (79%), heat waves (59%) and industrial or transportation accidents (57%) were named by people in Belleville as the emergencies or disasters most likely to occur within their community.
Residents most commonly anticipated turning to news on the radio as an initial source of help and information in the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (33%), an industrial or transportation accident (33%) or an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (27%) (Table 1.1). In the event of rioting or civil unrest (42%) residents most commonly anticipated seeking help and information from law enforcement first. Utility companies were named as the most common source of initial help and information in the event of an extended power outage (48%). In the event of a contamination or shortage of water or food, residents would most commonly turn first to their local government (30%), while hospitals, clinics, doctors or other medical professionals were the most commonly anticipated sources of help and information if residents of Belleville were faced with an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease (56%).

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

More than one-third (38%) of residents of Belleville have experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For nearly three-quarters (72%), the emergency or disaster was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
Winter storms (including blizzards and ice storms) were the most commonly experienced emergencies or disasters faced by residents (49%), followed by extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (43%).
The majority of residents who experienced an emergency or disaster were unable to use electrical appliances as a result (74%), making it the most common type of disruption to daily activities. Other common disruptions experienced by residents included the inability to heat or cool their homes (50%), a need to boil drinking water or drink bottled water (47%) or the inability to use water at home for tasks (46%). More serious disruptions included home evacuation (24%^{Note E: Use with caution}) or an inability to use roads or transportation within the community (26%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
Most residents (79%) were able to resume their daily activities within five days of the event (32%^{Note E: Use with caution} within 24 hours, 24%^{Note E: Use with caution} in one to two days and 23%^{Note E: Use with caution} in three to five days).
More than half (57%) of victims received help either during or immediately following the event, most commonly from a family member (53%).^{Note 6}
About three in ten (31%) people in Belleville who experienced a major emergency or disaster 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 some kind of a financial impact. Experiencing other types of serious or long-term implications was rare.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Three-quarters (76%) of residents of Belleville lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 7} with over half (53%) living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). Less than one in ten (7%^{Note E: Use with caution}) residents lived in a household that had not participated in any emergency planning activities.
Three out of five (61%) residents lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 8} taken in case of an emergency, and about one-third (32%) lived in a household with three or four such measures. About one in ten (12%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
Most residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector (99%) or a working carbon monoxide detector (80%) (Table 1.3). Seven in ten (69%) reported living in homes with a working fire extinguisher. Three out of five (59%) residents stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their households.
For the most part, the number of emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents of Belleville did not significantly differ from Ontario residents overall, however, there were some significant differences when compared to residents of Canada’s 10 provinces. Some of the differences include: the proportion of Belleville residents who engaged in all four emergency planning activities (25%) or all three fire safety measures (59%) was significantly higher than the national proportion (19% and 42% respectively).^{Note 9}
In terms of the types of activities and measures taken by residents of Belleville, some of the differences observed included: having an emergency exit plan (73%), a vehicle emergency supply kit (69%), a wind-up or battery-operated radio (67%) or an alternate water source (52%), all of which were more common among residents of Belleville compared to residents of Ontario and Canada.

Social networks and sense of belonging

Close to half (47%) of Belleville’s residents had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 10} to their community.
Most residents (89%) described their neighbourhood as a place where neighbours generally help each other.^{Note 11} Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, the majority (89%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.
More than half 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 for emotional support (65%), if physically injured (59%) or in the event of a home evacuation (56%). However, about one-quarter of residents had a similar network of people to turn to for financial help (27%), and one in ten (10%) reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.^{Note 12}
High levels of sense of belonging, self-efficacy and neighbourhood trust, 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 Belleville, 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	33
News- Television	21
News- Internet	17
Extended power outages^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
Utility company	48
News- Radio	16
Family	13^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	56
News- Radio	18^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	14^{Note E: Use with caution}
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	33
Police/law enforcement	18
News- Television	17
Contamination or shortage of water or food^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
Local government	30
News- Radio	26
Family	10^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Radio	27
Police/law enforcement	27
News- Television	22^{Note E: Use with caution}
Rioting or civil unrest
Police/law enforcement	42
News- Radio	29^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	18^{Note E: Use with caution}
^Note 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 Belleville, 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), Belleville, 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	Belleville	Ontario	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	7^{Note E: Use with caution}	8	8
1 activity	14	16	17
2 activities	23	25	25
3 activities	28	28	27
4 activities	25^{Table 1.2, Note **}	21	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	12^{Note E: Use with caution}	15	16
1 measure	24	28	27
2 measures	29	29	28
3 measures	25^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	20	20
4 measures	7^{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	31^{Table 1.2, Note **}	35	38
3 measures	59^{Table 1.2, Note **}	53	42
^{Note E: Use with caution} 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 Belleville, 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), Belleville, Ontario and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Belleville	Ontario	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	73^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	63	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	48	47	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	36	30	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	58	57	55
Household emergency supply kit	50	47	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	69^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	62	59
Extra copies of important documents	55	56	53
List of emergency contact numbers	71	71	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}^{Table 1.3, Note 6}	70	61	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	67^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	59	58
Alternate heat source	41^{Table 1.3, Note **}	46	48
Back-up generator	27^{Table 1.3, Note *}	20	23
Alternate water source	52^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	44	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	23	22	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	99^{Table 1.3, Note **}	99	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	80^{Table 1.3, Note **}	80	60
Working fire extinguisher	69	64	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 Table 1.3, Note 6. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Belleville'. 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 Belleville, 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 †}	55	35	60
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	40^{Note E: Use with caution}	Note F: too unreliable to be published	49
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	59	36	62
No	44^{Table 1.4, Note *}	24^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	50
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	60	34^{Note E: Use with caution}	63
No	51	31	57
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	60	36	59
No	48^{Table 1.4, Note *}	27	59
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	61	36	67
No	48^{Table 1.4, Note *}	29	53^{Table 1.4, Note *}
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	60	34	60
No	45^{Table 1.4, Note *}	29	58
^Note E use with caution F too unreliable to be published 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 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

^Note 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 (20%) 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 the number of people they could turn to for help if financial support is needed.

Return to note 12 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Community of Belleville (CA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Belleville (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 Belleville (CA), Ontario Fact sheetCommunity of Belleville (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 Belleville (CA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Belleville (CA), Ontario

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