The City of Brampton
The pilot: 21 Faith based organizations across the City of Brampton
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After the 2013 ice storm, the City of Brampton’s Emergency Manager, Alain Normand, envisioned a system that would manage the many impromptu volunteers who had asked what they could do to help. “We had to refuse them,” Alain says. “We told them to go check on their neighbours.”
Faith based organizations are obvious emergency response partners. Their many volunteers already serve their communities in a variety of ways, are trained to work with the public, and have been cleared by police checks. The job of preparing them to help during the next emergency need only focus on basic training around emergency response. In the spring of 2017 the City of Brampton formally supported Alain’s Lighthouse intiative. Many of the 21 “Ready” faith sites, representing a wide range of religions and already serving vulnerable populations, will become the point of rendezvous for people needing guidance and support during emergencies. At a minimum, site volunteers will check on the well being of their vulnerable neighbours during an emergency. Their outreach will be supported by a July 2018 municipal campaign to make all Brampton residents aware of the Lighthouse project. Michelle Sullivan - Brampton Resilience Animator
Michelle has led teams of volunteers for non-profit organizations, community service groups and faith-based organizations—responding to fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, evacuations and pandemics for well over a decade. She is based in Brampton’s Emergency Management Office as coordinator of the Lighthouse Program, a capacity-building and resilience initiative that engages faith-based and community service groups. Her work dovetails perfectly with Faith & the Common Good’s Lighthouse Project which takes its name from the Brampton initiative. Michelle is experienced in strengthening relationships with other collaborative agencies, especially through joint exercises, awareness campaigns, training workshops and fundraisers. Her 12 year volunteer service with the Red Cross has taken her as far afield as the Canadian Arctic. Trained in Ambulance and Emergency care as well as Crisis Intervention and Counseling, she is currently pursuing an MA in Emergency Management at Royal Roads University. Michelle and her husband live in Brampton with their three children. Alain Normand - Emergency Manager for the City of Brampton
Alain Normand's vision is the inspiration for Faith & the Common Good's Lighthouse Project. Alain has over twenty-five years of experience in the profession. He is an author, a teacher and a lecturer with a passion for emergency management. He directed relief efforts in emergencies such as the Saguenay floods in 1996, the Quebec Ice Storm of 1998, the repatriation of Canadians from Haiti after the earthquake of 2010 and other events in various parts of the country. Past director for the Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness, he was an emergency management and business continuity consultant to numerous organizations including many Greater Toronto Area municipalities for a number of years. |
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Pilot site locations
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Brampton, Ontario
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Tier 1 - “Ready” Agencies that have confirmed their interest to participate and are waiting to sign up for the programs.
Tier 2 - “Potential” Agencies have expressed a strong interest in the program are waiting for more information. |
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Brampton pilot objectives
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UPDATES as of June 2018
Pre-agreement preparations and agreement negotiations are underway with several Christian groups and one Sikh group. Should they sign in time, there may be an opportunity to offer a summer Lighthouse Training session.
Stay tuned!
Stay tuned!
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Outcomes that outlive the project
The City of Brampton will benefit from the contributions of a great diversity of trained volunteers whose faith buildings are sited in some of the city's most vulnerable neighbourhoods. In the case of emergency these volunteers are ready to respond to the emergency manager's direction. |
