Running Head: DELIVERING SAFE ESS AS A HOST COMMUNITY DURING A PANDEMIC

Delivering Safe Emergency Social Services as a Host Community during a Pandemic

Clayton Sheen
Justice Institute of British Columbia
ESMS 4900 21S
Bachelor of Emergency & Security Management Studies
Instructor: Beth Larcombe
August 1, 2021

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Abstract
Emergency planners face considerable challenges when planning for an evacuation, while in the
midst of a pandemic. This two-fold emergency adds complexity because it requires considerable
planning to achieve both simultaneous and conflicting objectives of limiting the spread of
COVID-19 while also delivering emergency services. The City of Prince George (CoPG)
provides Emergency Social Services (ESS) for not only their own residents, but also the
multitude of communities located in the northern portion of British Columbia (BC). Mass
evacuations, which requires the rapid removal of a large population from disaster-impacted
areas, can also inadvertently accelerate the transmission of COVID-19. Investigating and
implementing strategies that reduce the potential for virus spread while providing ESS, helps
provide an increased margin of safety for evacuees, CoPG residents, emergency workers and
volunteers. The following study is a review of practices used in evacuation centres and other
similar purposed facilities, to reduce the spread of COVID-19 while providing essential services
to a large population. These strategies were evaluated for applicability into the CoPG ESS plan.
Elements of the research gained from the literature review that could increase safety for the
CoPG’s ESS plan are; transportation, advanced registration, dispersed evacuation, pre-screening,
contact tracing, ventilation, maximizing the use of cleaning supplies and personal protective
equipment (PPE), cleaning, education, and information campaigns. This study will make
recommendations regarding how the CoPG can increase the safety of the ESS plan during the
pandemic, reducing the transmission of the virus while providing host community services for
neighboring communities.
Keywords: evacuation, evacuation centre, evacuation planning, reception centre, natural
disaster, pandemic, COVID-19, isolation centre.

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Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Background ................................................................................................................................... 4
Research Question and Rationale................................................................................................ 4
Review of Literature ..................................................................................................................... 6
Search Methodology......................................................................................................................6
Article Selection ............................................................................................................................7

Analysis .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Transportation ..............................................................................................................................8
Advanced Registration ..................................................................................................................9
Dispersed Evacuation ....................................................................................................................9
COVID-19 Positive isolation Centres ..........................................................................................10
Pre-screening ..............................................................................................................................11
Contact Tracing ..........................................................................................................................11
Ventilation ..................................................................................................................................11
Maximizing PPE and Hygiene Supplies.......................................................................................12
Cleaning ......................................................................................................................................13
Education ....................................................................................................................................14
Information .................................................................................................................................15

Discussion..................................................................................................................................... 16
Travel to the Evacuation Centre .................................................................................................16
Evacuation Centre Operations ....................................................................................................17
Evaluation & Recommendations .................................................................................................19

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 21
References .................................................................................................................................... 22

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Delivering Emergency Social Services as a Host Community during a Pandemic
Background
In 2017 and 2018 the City of Prince George (CoPG) acted as a host community for three
months serving over 13,000 evacuees who were forced from their homes due to a mass
evacuation caused by wildfires (Hall, 2019). These two considerable mass evacuation events
have positioned the CoPG as a host community leader in the province of BC that can deliver
large scale Emergency Social Services (ESS). After a brief hiatus from providing this service,
and with the recent floods and current fire events, the CoPG is preparing to again offer this
service to neighboring communities. However, the CoPG is currently confronted with the
challenges of providing ESS for a mass evacuation, while the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing.
Traditional evacuation centres often have common attributes such as crowded spaces,
close contact settings and confined spaces that are known to contribute to the spread of the
COVID-19 virus (Takaoka, 2021). Numerous studies indicate that evacuations can increase the
rate of virus spread and infection (Collins et al., 2021; Sawano et al., 2021; Takaoka, 2021).
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming fire season rapidly approaching, the
CoPG is looking to identify pandemic safe strategies to improve the ESS delivery model for
mass evacuations that may occur in fulfilling their role as a host community.
Research Question and Rationale
Effective evacuations are a critical component of public safety (Pei et al., 2020).
Evacuations have been identified as having the potential to rapidly spread COVID-19 throughout
a community. Once an outbreak occurs at an evacuation centre, it is difficult to contain (Takaoka
et al., 2021). Adding further to this challenge, many of the people evacuating or utilizing an

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evacuation centre consist of vulnerable populations, whom are highly susceptible to contracting
the COVID-19 virus (Sawano et al., 2021; Whytlaw et al., 2021). Pei et al. (2020) argues that
communities who develop plans and prepare for an evacuation during a pandemic reduce the
overall detrimental impact to public health. This study will answer the following question: What
additional mitigation measures can the CoPG implement to their ESS planning that would
improve safety for evacuees, CoPG residents and emergency workers? This study aims to
identify strategies that would create a safe environment to conduct ESS as a host city during
evacuations and a concurrent pandemic, infectious disease outbreak or epidemic. The
significance of this study and the results of the research will provide the CoPG emergency
management professionals with an understanding of potential strategies that could be enlisted to
mitigate virus spread. This in turn will add an increased safety margin, and achieve the double
objective of providing ESS to evacuees from other communities, while simultaneously impeding
the spread of COVID-19 during an evacuation.
Although there have been some studies and research conducted relating to this study area,
it is limited as there has not been significant time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 information is continually being updated and health guidelines remain in flux to
accommodate the dynamic nature of the virus and its variants. Continual reassessment of best
practices, health official directions and current research is critical to ensure that potential
mitigation strategies reflect the current body of available knowledge. Given the limitations to the
knowledge and understanding of the COVID-19 virus and its variants, the impact it has on
evacuations is substantial. If emergency management professionals do not alter existing
evacuation plans, they could be at risk of spreading the virus throughout their community or
other neighboring communities.

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Review of Literature
The review of literature included a comprehensive systematic search that focused on
facilities facing similar challenges of delivering services while minimizing the spread of
COVID-19. The objective was to identify critical knowledge gaps, along with identifying major
themes relating to the study area and look for ways to modify and improve the current host
community model utilized by the CoPG. The literature review included peer reviewed journals,
case studies, briefing notes, and other sources that contained theoretical and practical
perspectives. Identifying and analyzing the literature from comparable facilities produced
considerable strategies that could be considered, adopted, or adapted into the CoPG host
community ESS delivery plan.
Search Methodology
The initial search targeted a variety of sources and was conducted by limiting the
literature to contain only the keywords: pandemic, COVID-19, evacuation, evacuation planning,
evacuation centres, isolation centres and pandemic. These keywords were searched alone and in
combination. To ensure a wide array of research was utilized from available sources there were
numerous resources selected to conduct the topic search; JIBC Library, Google Scholar and
Research Gate. All resources used provided a variety of articles that were considered for the
literature review.
The initial search populated a large number of articles. Use of the keywords “pandemic in
an evacuation” provided 10,100,000 hits on Google; 17,400 hits on Google Scholar; and 126 on
the JIBC Library System. It was unrealistic to review all returned searches. Filters used to place
restrictions on the search allowed for more refined and useable articles. Filtering the results to

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articles containing “only with the exact phrase”, plus adding the keywords “full text” and “peerreviewed” narrowed the results significantly and provided sources that were more relevant. This
produced a more refined list with increasingly relevant titles, which were then given a quick
abstract review before being added to a secondary list.
Article Selection
The secondary list of sources provided a more refined collection of articles. An
examination of the title and abstract of each of these sources was then conducted to further
ascertain relevancy to the research. The revised search criteria provided 18 articles; from these
18 a more thorough review was conducted to refine the list to 15 articles for a full and final
review. All articles used were selected because they were peer-reviewed articles and full text.
These articles were also selected based on the relevance to the research question, the research
methodology and the themes that emerged based on the initial review.
Analysis
After reviewing the literature, several common themes surfaced which provided insight
into challenges and potential solutions to accommodate the two-fold objective of providing ESS
to evacuees while limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Transportation, advanced
registration, dispersed evacuation, pre-screening contact tracing, ventilation, maximizing
cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), systematic documented cleaning
protocols, education and information were aspects of evacuations centre where strategies existed
that could reduce virus spread while delivering ESS.

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Transportation
The initial stage of an evacuation involves transportation away from the hazard to an area
of safety. During an evacuation, transportation resources are in high demand and are commonly
shared by evacuees and emergency responders (Borowski et al., 2021). The current pandemic
decreases transportation opportunities such as ridesharing or mass transit due to the confined
space and close quarters that are often present within these transportation modes. The Centre for
Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2021) cautions that the risk of contracting COVID-19
drastically increases with time lengths greater than 15 minutes in areas that cannot sustain twometer social distancing. During an emergency, considerable portions of the population
evacuating may not have personal transportation and will rely on services provided or offered by
others (Borowski et al., 2021). This is particularly relevant with vulnerable populations, as many
of them do not have access to reliable transportation or critical emergency information to direct
them during an evacuation (Campbell et al., 2021). Considerable caution is required to ensure
that vulnerable sectors of the population such as elderly or medically compromised individuals
are not placed at an increased risk due to transportation methods utilized to facilitate an
evacuation (Borowski et al., 2021). Preble (2021) cautions that transportation can increase the
rate of COVID-19 infection if there are frequent stops or passenger turn over. Evaluating
transportation resources in advance of an emergency, during a pandemic is critical, because
many public transit agencies will have reduced staffing levels in order to respond to the
decreased demand in transportation brought on by restrictions (Campbell et al., 2021).
Guidance should be provided for those utilizing personal vehicles to promote COVID-19
safety measures. The guidance should include wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, limiting
stops and travelling with the windows open (Campbell et al., 2021). Aside from personal

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vehicles, buses are a commonly observed transportation method communities use to rapidly
reposition evacuees from their community to the host community. Strategies to reduce the spread
of the COVID-19 virus on buses include reduced passenger capacity to allow for social
distancing, loading the bus back to front and unloading front to back to reduce unnecessary
contact, use of face masks, using the windows as passive ventilation and providing a bus monitor
to ensure that safety protocols are being followed by all on board (Abulhassan & Davis, 2021;
Shaheen 2021).
Advanced Registration
Advanced registration allows evacuees to register themselves before they reach an
evacuation centre. The evacuee can go online prior to leaving home or during transportation and
register themselves and their family, so that when they arrive to an evacuation centre they can
immediately receive food, shelter and clothing services. This allows them to spend less time in
the facility, reducing the risk of transmission, especially in those individuals with pre-existing
health conditions or those that are currently diagnosed with COVID-19 (Whytlaw et al., 2021).
Shadow evacuations are when people outside the evacuation zone self-evacuate (Campbell et al.,
2021; Whytlaw et al., 2021). This can be problematic because it places stress on an already under
resourced system and can unnecessarily promote transmission of the COVID-19 virus (Whytlaw
et al., 2021). Advanced registration can also limit shadow evacuation by telling the evacuee
registering that they are not eligible for ESS.
Dispersed Evacuation
In order to accommodate and promote social distancing measures required to combat
transmission of the virus, a dispersed evacuation is recommended during an evacuation (Potutan
& Arakida, 2021). Dispersed evacuation means that an enforced two-meter distance is present

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between individuals. As noted by Potutan and Arkida, (2021) the implications of a dispersed
evacuation means that evacuations can take longer and require more resources such as the need
for the increased number of evacuation centres and transportation resources. A dispersed
evacuation relies on earlier notification, increased number of evacuation centres and separation
of presumptive or positive COVID-19 evacuees.
Increased numbers of evacuation centres are required in order to promote social
distancing within the facility (Cambell et al., 2021; Potutan & Arakida, 2021; Sawano et al.,
2021). Evacuation centres are typically designed to serve a large amount of evacuees in one area,
and offer confined space and close contact settings (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020a).
Numerous smaller evacuation centre sites are recommended to allow for the increased capacity
requirements and promoting social distance requirements; however, this comes with a capacity
reduction (Potutan & Arakida, 2021; Sakamoto et al., 2020). It is critical that these evacuation
centres comply with the public health guidelines in order to reduce the spread of transmission
(Pei et al., 2020). Tents, schools, sporting venues or community halls are all potential venues
that could be used to accommodate the additional evacuation centres (WHO, 2020a).
COVID-19 Positive isolation Centres
In order to reduce the rate of virus transmission, a commonly suggested strategy was to
identity and isolate individuals with suspected, probable, or confirmed COVID-19 (Takaoka et
al., 2021; WHO, 2020a). This allows the healthy to be served at one reception centre while the
individuals who have tested positive receive services and instructions at another. Whytlaw et al.,
(2021) does caution that separation of individuals who tested positive can add complications for
family members and caregivers.

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Pre-screening
Pre-screening evacuees before they enter an evacuation centre increases community
safety and reduces potential transmission (Potutan & Arakida, 2021). Those displaying
symptoms or having tested positive can be separated and receive services in a facility specifically
designed for population that have tested positive (WHO, 2020a). Pre-screening was identified as
a cost-effective strategy that reduced the mortality rates in designated isolation centres in South
Africa (Reddy et al., 2020).
Contact Tracing
Contact tracing is a method of reconstructing possible exposures from an infection chain.
Contact tracing has shown to be an effective countermeasure to preventing increased virus
spread (Mansoor et al., 2020; Vardoulakis et al., 2020). Masoor et al. (2020) recommends
recording name, home and office address, and phone number of those contacted during the
tracing process. Wong and Shaheen (2020) and the WHO (2020a) both caution the importance of
ensuring privacy and security of collected contact tracing information.
Ventilation
Increased air flow in both transportation and facilities has shown to be an effective
preventive measure for reducing the spread of COVID -19 (Abulhassan &Davis, 2021; Campbell
et al., 2021; Potutan & Arakida, 2021; Sakamoto et al., 2020; Vardoulakis et al., 2020). WHO
(2020a) recommends the use of fans and temperature control for indoor facilities in order to
reduce virus transmission rates. This promotes continual new air to enter the facility and limits
the amount of time effectively airborne virus particulates can remain airborne in the facility
(Vardoulakis et al., 2020; WHO, 2020a).

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Maximizing PPE and Hygiene Supplies
Evacuation centre operations consume large amounts of supplies. The demand for critical
supplies is further increased with the added stress of a pandemic. Cleaning and hygiene supplies
are critical to combat the spread of communicable viruses and are often in short supply
(Sakamoto et al., 2020). Lack of PPE has been identified as a considerable cause of infecting
hospital and healthcare workers (Mansoor et al., 2020). This could indicate that evacuation
centres could be prone to the same challenge. Numerous strategies were identified in the
literature to assist in ensuring adequate supplies were available during an evacuation centre
activation.
First, having adequate resources stockpiled in advance of an event helps to ensure the
increased demand in resources does not exceed availability during an evacuation centres
operation (Poutan & Arakida, 2020; Sakamoto et al., 2021). Each individual evacuation centre is
responsible for acquiring the resources they require. Gloves, face masks, hygiene and cleaning
supplies are in high demand during a pandemic. Stockpiling these critical items ensures that
there are adequate resources available to accommodate the high demand on critical cleaning and
PPE supplies needed for facilitating both the evacuation and the pandemic. Securing storage
locations and maintaining a current inventory is recommended (Takaoka et al., 2021).
Secondly, the high demand for supplies makes it imperative to ensure that their usable
lifespan is maximized. Educating staff and evacuees regarding the appropriate life cycle of PPE
can greatly reduce the amount of consumed PPE and hygiene resources (Campbell et al., 2020;
Mansoor et al., 2020).
A third strategy Mansoor et al. (2020) recommends is having staff do multiple tasks to
limit the potential virus exposure and reduce the use of critical supplies. An example of this is

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having a single staff member conduct numerous tasks such as cleaning and waste removal while
wearing a single set of PPE. This allows one use of the appropriate PPE instead of a new set
being used as each staff member dons or doffs equipment. Training staff on proper donning and
doffing processes is critical to prevent the potential for self-contamination, as well as reviewing
the proper disposal of PPE and hygiene supplies helps with the reduction of unnecessary waste
and ensures that after its use and disposal it does not cause further issues of virus transmission
(Mansoor et al., 2020).
Cleaning
Numerous studies argue the need for a thorough and systematic cleaning process in
evacuation centres in order to reduce transmission (Takaoka et al., 2021; Vardoulakis et al.,
2020; WHO 2020a; Whytlaw et al., 2021). The WHO (2020a) notes that alongside the normal
environmental cleaning that occurs, high touch point surfaces need to be identified, inventoried
and receive more frequent cleaning and disinfection. Registration areas, switches, washrooms,
entrances and exits are areas of high concern for virus contamination (WHO, 2020a). These areas
should have controlled access with separate exit and entrance points complete with supervisors
who ensure cleaning is conducted hourly (CDC, 2017). The WHO (2020b) recommends using
70% ethyl alcohol for equipment between uses and 1% sodium hypochlorite for disinfection of
regular touch surfaces.
Transmission of the COVID-19 virus is possible through waste (Vardoulakis et al.,
2020). Trash receptacles should be readily available throughout the evacuation centre and
emptied regularly. Waste from persons with confirmed COVID-19 is considered infectious and
should be treated as biohazard waste (WHO, 2020a). Medical waste should be disposed of
separately as per local regulation (Rebmann et al., 2008).

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Education
The public tends to underestimate virus transmission (Campbell et al., 2021). Reducing
virus transmission through education of the public is a critical strategy during an evacuation.
Campbell et al. (2021) recommends maintaining synthesized information on an ongoing basis
aimed at providing guidance for evacuees and workers. Hand hygiene and the proper use of face
masks are critical for reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus (Campbell et al., 2021;
Vardoulakis et al., 2020). Accessible and functioning hand washing stations should be available
throughout the evacuation centre located at the facility entry, exits, toilets and waste
management areas (WHO, 2020b). To support the use of these key preventative measures,
educating the public on the importance of the hygiene protocols is key, having posted easy to
read directives on how to conduct proper hygiene practice appropriately is critical to ensure the
effectiveness of these strategies is maximized (WHO, 2020a).
In order to reduce virus transmission, it is critical to educate the staff on communicable
disease prevention. The increased resources and safety processes required to operate an
evacuation centre during a pandemic requires increased personnel (WHO 2020a). Developing
plans in advance to accommodate the communicable disease prevention strategies allow the staff
to know what to expect and how to follow the prevention plan. A useful way to unify all staff is
through the use of an operations manual, which could be integrated into the emergency plan
(Takaoka et al., 2021). Training and exercises in advance of an event can help solidify these
processes for ESS workers. Campbell et al. (2021) recommends that evacuation centre managers
set compliance goals and reinforce education through periodic site checks.

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Information
The willingness of the public to follow evacuation protocols and public health guidance
directly impacts virus transmission (Campbell et al., 2021). Effective communication campaigns
can assist the public in making appropriate decisions regarding protective actions.
Communication campaigns typically involve the development and distribution of messaging on
multiple platforms, educating the public on topics such as the status of the disaster, where to
evacuate to, what to expect and what to bring (Collins et al., 2021; Takaoka et al., 2021). Using
communication campaigns to improve public perception on the safety measures and precautions
that are conducted at an evacuation centre can greatly increase the public's trust and promote
evacuation centre usage (Collins et al., 2021). Furthermore, communication allows the evacuees
to know the expected behavior and hygiene standards at the facility, so that they can behave
appropriately. Campbell et al. (2021) cautioned that there is a potential for some hostility and
skepticism from evacuees due to pandemic burnout, which could lead to evacuees being less
receptive to following safety protocols. They recommended tailoring messages to reach specific
audiences and leveraging community partners to assist in mitigating this type of circumstance.
During an evacuation, information is in high demand for evacuees, but many barriers
such as literacy, access to technology, language and culture can prevent the correct information
from reaching its intended targets (Whytlaw et al., 2021). Information that could be useful to
evacuees includes advice on what to bring, expected hygiene and behavior protocols in the
evacuation centre and where they should evacuate to (Takaoka et al., 2021). Sakamoto (2020)
notes the importance of listing evacuation centres simultaneously to avoid any one evacuation
centre from receiving a surge of evacuees.

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Discussion
Integrating Strategies into Prince George ESS Planning
The CoPG has taken steps to meet the mandatory BC Provincial Health Officer
guidelines while providing ESS. The evacuation centre site has been altered from its previous
design to accommodate for social distancing, face masks, barriers, flow path, capacity control
and utilizing the digital registration system in an attempt to reduce COVID-19 exposure risk.
These mitigation measures are a good initial step towards mitigating the spread of the COVID-19
virus. From the research conducted in the literature review, there are additional strategies that
could be integrated into the ESS plan in order to further improve the margin of safety for
evacuees, emergency workers and the community.
Travel to the Evacuation Centre
Initially, when an evacuation order for an area is issued, an opportunity exists to educate
potential evacuees on ways to reduce virus spread before they even set out from their home
community. Key information that could be included in the evacuation order include
transportation; advanced registration; evacuation centre locations; hygiene expectations and
cleaning protocols. Messaging explaining the precautions and safety measures in place at
evacuation centres could promote greater trust and increased usage of the evacuation centres.
Transportation guidelines, providing safety requirements for both personal and mass
transit would promote a reduction in the spread of COVID-19. Drivers could be educated on the
risk of COVID-19 spread and learn how to minimize this risk through tactics such as minimal
stopping, social distancing, the appropriate use of PPE and using the air conditioning or opening
the window(s) for passive ventilation (Campbell et al., 2021).

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Instructions provided to the evacuees in advance of registration could also serve to
reduce virus spread through minimizing the time the evacuee spends in the evacuation centre.
This would also allow the host community to prepare in advance for the arrival of the evacuees,
finding appropriate lodging and food sources.
Simultaneously posting the evacuation centre locations or specifically directing the
evacuees to specific locations can help reduce virus spread through promoting dispersed
evacuation. Numerous evacuation centres ensures that evacuees are distributed between the
facilities reducing crowding and the associated risk of virus transmission.
Informing evacuees and residents on the precautions being taken at the evacuation centre
can help reduce virus spread. The evacuation order could also contain instructions on the
expected etiquette and safety procedures being conducted at the evacuation centre. This would
help influence evacuee perceptions, encourage use of the evacuation centres, encourage social
distancing, and using the correct PPE.
Evacuation Centre Operations
The evacuation centre operations provide another opportunity to implement strategies
learned in the literature review and reduce the virus spread while delivering ESS to evacuees.
Increasing the number of evacuation centre sites, pre-screening, contact tracing, maximizing PPE
and cleaning supplies, cleaning procedures, education and information updates are areas where
opportunity exists to decrease virus spread while providing ESS to evacuees (WHO, 2020a).
The CoPG currently utilizes a single site for an evacuation centre, but additional sites
could be arranged in order to promote a dispersed evacuation and spread evacuee concentration.
Outside sites, utilizing tents or existing infrastructure and mobile ESS could increase evacuation

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centre sites. Numerous evacuation centre sites promote a dispersed evacuation and decreases
COVID-19 virus transmission risk. It also offers the opportunity to separate those evacuees with
a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 diagnosis (Takaoka et al., 2021). Operation of these sites
will require increased human resources. The CoPG may have to partner with outside agencies
such as the local health authority (Northern Health Authority and Provincial Health Services
Authority – Health Emergency Management of British Columbia) and Non-Government
Organizations (NGO’s) (Red Cross and Salvation Army) in order to have sufficient resources.
Pre-screening evacuees and contract tracing can assist in reducing COVID-19 virus
spread at evacuation centres. This process is not currently done, but could augment the current
registration system at the entrance of the evacuation centre utilized for family member location
and operational purposes. The screening questions will be asked, along with collecting
individuals' temperature using a non-contact thermometer to ensure no obvious indicators of
COVID-19 are present. Contact information will be collected as per existing ESS procedures to
additionally assist public health officials in tracking down and reducing COVID-19 transmission
and exposure to others.
Increasing ventilation or the free flow of air can serve to reduce the risk of contracting
COVID-19. Three possibilities exist to incorporate increased airflow. The first opportunity is to
utilize tents without walls to use as the reception centre. Secondly, utilizing passive ventilation as
utilized with the opening of a vehicle window could increase airflow in an evacuation centre.
This would involve utilizing natural wind current and opening entry and exit points. The third
opportunity would be to utilize the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units or
pressure fans to both blow air in and extract air out. This is a low-cost mitigation strategy that

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could be employed at the current ESS centre as well as any additional facilities that are
established.
Cleaning is a key strategy to reduce virus spread. Identifying common touch points as
well as known high touch points and heavy use areas such as entrances, exits and toilets have
been identified as infection transmission hot spots (WHO, 2020a). Regular systematic and
documented cleaning can reduce virus spread at evacuation centres with minimal cost (Collins et
al., 2020). Maximizing PPE and cleaning supplies that are in high demand ensures that the
supplies are maximized for use. Educating staff on how to safely maximize the most out of the
supplies is one way to ensure that supplies are available when needed and are not wasted
unnecessarily. Currently, the CoPG has a rigorous cleaning strategy; however, documenting the
process, so that it is visible for the public would enhance public perception, confidence and staff
accountability (T. Spooner, personal communication, June 22, 2021).
Education and information campaigns can greatly enhance the public trust in an
evacuation centre, as well as promote proper behavior and hygiene. Establishing a
communication campaign early on in an evacuation can assist emergency management
professionals by gaining compliance from the public and staff. Table tops and functional
exercises can help reinforce and familiarize processes for emergency workers, as well as identify
service or education gaps that may be present.
Evaluation and Recommendations
In light of the pandemic, increasing safety measures while conducting ESS in order to
reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus is prudent because as noted by Takaoka et al.,
(2021) once an outbreak occurs at an evacuation centre it is difficult to control. The risks of
conducting ESS as a host community while amidst a pandemic requires emergency managers to

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continually seek out and implement the best practices available. Several strategies identified in
the literature review for this study could be incorporated into the CoPG’s existing ESS plan,
providing maximum safety for evacuees, emergency workers and community residents. This
study recommends that the CoPG take action at two stages.
The first is during the initial stages of the evacuation while the evacuees are preparing to
leave and travel to the CoPG. Information and guidance could be provided to evacuees which
could assist in mitigating communicable disease spread; transportation advice; advanced
registration evacuation centre locations; hygiene expectations and cleaning protocols. The
second stage is to consider implementing additional safety mitigation strategies while operating
the evacuation centre. Strategies utilized by other evacuation centres and similar facilities
include increasing evacuation centre sites, pre-screening, contact tracing, maximizing PPE usage
and minimizing the waste of cleaning supplies. Enhanced and systematic cleaning procedures,
education and information campaigns are areas where opportunity exists to decrease COVID-19
virus spread. Planning and partnering with the local healthcare authorities could assist operations
of an evacuation centre as their expertise is in contract tracing, systematic cleaning procedures,
sourcing PPE and assisting in managing evacuation centres designed for isolating COVID-19
positive evacuees.
Further emergency programs should focus on strategies to increase participation in public
education around evacuation during a pandemic. Holding public education campaigns, exercises,
drills and events are all potential ideas with the intention to make emergency preparedness a
citizen's personal responsibility. Tabletop or actual exercises that involve setting up the
emergency operations centre (EOC) with staff and volunteers following pandemic protocols can
eliminate the sharp learning curve. Conducting an evaluation and debrief after the tabletop or

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actual exercise can highlight learning opportunities and further reinforce learning for emergency
managers and responders.
Conclusion
The CoPG provides ESS to outside communities who need to evacuate to alternate safe
communities. Evacuations have a high potential to spread COVID-19 throughout a community.
Looking at other evacuation centres and similar designated facilities, several strategies were
assessed to see if they increased the margin of safety for evacuees, emergency workers and
residents while the CoPG provides ESS services. Despite the research being focused on the
COVID-19 pandemic, the implications of this research could further increase evacuation centre
resilience for other public health infectious disease outbreaks that may occur while conducting
an evacuation.
The CoPG could further improve its ESS delivery model by incorporating mitigation
measures at various stages of the evacuation, improving the margin of safety and reducing risk
for evacuees, residents and first responders. These mitigation measures include providing
transportation advice for personal vehicles and mass transit, clear directions and instruction,
increase evacuation centre sites, isolate suspected or confirmed COVID-19 evacuees and use
dedicated facilities; promote dispersed evacuation; increase air flow in the evacuation centre site;
maximize PPE and manage cleaning equipment usage. Conduct systematic documented cleaning
of facilities, pursue education and information campaigns that target both the evacuee and the
emergency worker. Future studies should consider how to re-enter a community after having
experienced an evacuation during a pandemic.

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