Risk Management: Hot Topics

Dry, windy, and hot weather have caused conditions favourable to the sparking and spreading of wildfires in Alberta. Wildfires can result in evacuations of homes and property, loss of property, and health issues for many residents across the province.

To support those impacted by wildfires, collaborative agencies within Alberta and across the country have made resources available to citizens and community leaders.

At Alberta Municipalities, we seek to support you in your risk mitigation efforts in your community. We encourage you to review the resources below and share the information with your staff and residents, as needed.

Alberta Emergency Management Agency

• Wildfire preparedness
• Prepare to evacuate fact sheet
• Farm animal and livestock preparedness
• Build an emergency kit webpage
• Download the Alberta Emergency Alert app
• Download the Alberta 511 app
• What to do before during and after an emergency fact sheets
• Alberta Evacuation webpage

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC)

Access news releases focusing on Alberta Wildfires and resources available to residents. Through their consumer information centre you can ask general insurance questions such as what is covered, how to initiate a claim and best practices for insurance claims, and potential coverage for additional living expenses for the evacuated.

Click here for more information.

Firesmart™ Canada

FireSmart™ Canada is a national program that helps Canadians increase neighborhood resilience to wildfire and minimize its negative impacts. Founded over 20 years ago, they work to address common concerns about wildfire in the wildland urban interface.

Their website is dedicated to facts and details on how to protect ones home and property, and tips on how to make the property FireSmart™.

Click here for more information.

Members participating in our Insurance & Risk Services are encouraged to riskcontrol [at] abmunis.ca (connect with our team) to further discuss risk mitigation efforts.

To download a PDF version of this information, click here.

How do community members pay for evacuation costs?

Evacuation orders or civil authority insurance may be included in your homeowners/condo/tenants insurance package. This coverage pays necessary and reasonable increases in living expenses – such as hotel costs, pet boarding, and meals - if you are ordered to evacuate your premises due to wildfire. Reach out to your insurance broker to inquire if you have this coverage and how you can make a claim. Additional information from the IBC can be found here.

A common issue during evacuations is how to address the care of companion animals, more commonly known as pets. When a mass evacuation is required, it is difficult to house people and animals together in a manner that is safe and humane.

To support municipalities in being equipped to address the needs of animals at the scale required during an evacuation, resources have been developed to guide municipalities on how to safely care for animals during an emergency.

We encourage you to review the resources below in preparation for dealing with this issue.

Alberta Veterinary Profession Companion Animal Emergency Response Plan, created March 15, 2022

Companion Animal Disaster Response Capability Operations Plan, draft 

Though they look enticing, stormwater ponds are dangerous.  There have been many instances of people – primarily children – falling through the ice. For this reason, it is important to discourage the use of stormwater ponds for skating and other winter activities.

Some facts about Stormwater ponds:

• Stormwater ponds are typically warmer, more turbulent, and ice melts faster than natural bodies of water.
• Salt from roads flowing into the ponds can speed up the melting of ice.
• Stormwater ponds retain groundwater year-round. The water underneath the surface is constantly moving as a result, which means it does not freeze as evenly as natural bodies of water.

A study conducted by the University of Alberta, published in 2018, demonstrated that unlike natural bodies of water such as lakes, stormwater pond ice thickness is not predictable. Based on the results of this research, many municipalities have created bylaws to restrict or ban the use of stormwater ponds for recreation. Even with bylaws in place, someone may want to go out on the ice. Therefore, we recommend to installing signage to warn citizens to stay off the pond.

Some suggested warnings for the signs are:

• BEWARE - pond has thin ice
• Stay off
• No swimming/boating/recreation activities allowed
• No pets allowed

What Else Can I Do?

Those responsible for the public’s safety around stormwater ponds during the winter should have strategies for prevention and ensure that staff understand the operating procedures and emergency action plans. 

It is good risk management practice to consider the following control measures and ideas:

• Education and Publicity – Raise awareness of the dangers of frozen stormwater ponds. Consider engaging with local media, creating informational materials, and using social media and your website.
• Emergency Information – Provide potential users with emergency information at the site, such as what to do in an emergency, who to call, etc.
• Direct people to the appropriate place to undertake activity – Suggest skating at a local outdoor rink, park, or other suitable locations for cold weather activities.

Slips, trips and falls cost Albertans over $290 million every year in hospital visits and emergency admissions. This also makes up a number of claims and litigation municipalities experience.

What can you do to prevent slips, trips and falls in your community?

1. Take care of icy and slippery areas
   With winter upon us, the frequency of falls outside increase due to icy surfaces, wet entrance floors and snow covered objects. Don’t forget about public areas that aren’t walkways, such as bleachers or playgrounds. These items require regular inspections to ensure they are in safe, good working order.
    
2. Pay attention to high traffic areas
   As people look to stay active in the comfort of indoors, an increased use of recreational facilities and public buildings can cause a higher frequency of falls.
    
3. Make it part of your routine
   Having great housekeeping routines and regular safety checks where the public has walking access can prevent injuries to staff and guests. Regular inspections and documenting efforts in a log will demonstrate great effort on part of the municipality if a claim or litigation arises.

To expand your knowledge or brush up on slip, trip and fall prevention and risk management strategies, review our Risk Management e-Learning materials.

For additional information and helpful resources, visit fallpreventionmonth.ca. 

Winter storms can bring a whole array of exposures to your buildings and operations. Some regions of the country have experienced record-breaking snowfalls in recent years, which in turn has increased the hazard of roof collapse. All properly built roofs need to be built to withstand snow and ice loads. Building codes and roof loads vary from region to region and are based on historical data, such as the expected frequency and severity of snowstorms.

This guide is intended to assist you with:

• Recognizing the hazard of a potential snow load roof collapse
• Preparing and planning for the next winter storm
• Taking action to limit damage to building and contents

The following steps should be taken to help prevent potential roof collapse:

Can your building withstand large snow or ice accumulations?

Preparing for the Next Winter Storm

• You should know how much snow your buildings can safely handle. Be aware that building codes vary by location and also between building types. Code requirements have generally increased over the years, so older buildings may be designed to lesser requirements or none at all. Also recognize that they’re created to protect human life not necessarily property. You should contact a structural engineer or qualified builder to assist you in determining the snow load design for your buildings, and determine if any improvements are needed to prevent a future collapse.
• Consider weight that may have been added to the roof, which will reduce the available live load or roof design. This could be the result of new or heavier roof-mounted equipment (e.g., HVAC units), installation of a new roof covering or hanging equipment from the roof steel. A structural engineer should be consulted prior to adding any additional weight to the roof.
• Be aware of drifting snow potential that could result from new additions of different elevations, large roof-mounted signs, etc.
• Inspect the roof and structure (inside and out) for any damage, cracks or corrosion. Contact a qualified builder/roofer to help you assess the damage and the necessary repairs.
• Inspect all roof drains and gutters to ensure they are clear of any debris. Ice accumulation along the eave is a contributing factor to roof collapses.
• Check windows and doors to ensure they continue to open and close as designed. Any change in their operation should be investigated by a qualified builder. This change in operation might be the first indicator that structural members or the foundation is moving and could fail under a heavy snow load.
• If your building has a standing seam metal roof and was built before the year 2000, there may be a design weakness present. See the Travelers bulletin “Standing Seam Metal Roofs” or contact a structural engineer.
• If your building has a wood bowstring truss roof, this type is historically prone to failure, particularly due to truss deterioration where it meets the wall. A structural engineer should inspect such roofs on a periodic basis.

Develop a Plan to Safely Remove the Snow

• Start with a monitoring system to assist you with determining when to start snow removal. Action points need to be established so that the snow load isn’t allowed to get so high that it becomes unsafe to get on the roof. This is why it is important to know the snow load for your buildings.
• Decide whether you will remove the snow or if you will hire a contractor to perform the work. If you have any question about the requirements for your staff to safely do this, it would be better to use a contractor. If you decide to do the work, you need to ensure you have appropriately trained individuals on hand to safely perform this work and the proper equipment to avoid damaging the roof covering. If you decide to have a contractor do the work, have them sign the contract early and make sure they can respond quickly to your call. Make sure the contract has appropriate risk transfer language and that the contractor has adequate insurance coverage to do this work. Your insurance agent or broker can help you determine what is adequate for your exposure.

During the Winter Storm Season

• Monitor weather conditions
• Monitor roof conditions
  • Monitor snow and ice accumulation across the entire roof of all buildings
  • Monitor the amount of snow drifting along long ridge lines or on lower roof levels
• When deemed safe, implement the Snow Removal Plan and monitor snow depth on roofs.
• A snow removal plan should be reviewed by a structural engineer and roofing contractor to ensure that it does not increase the danger of collapse or cause damage to the roof covering, and is conducted in a manner that is safe for those working on the roof. For example:
  • Use of equipment such as large snow blowers on an already heavily, snow-loaded roof may present an excessive load. Or if the snow blower is not capable of throwing the snow off the roof in one pass, without a good plan, it could redistribute the snow and create areas where the load capability of the roof is exceeded.
  • Snow removal should be done in a manner that keeps the roof load as symmetrical as possible. This may mean removing deep snow in layers and removing snow on both sides of a low-pitched roof as you go, rather than one side completely, then the other, etc.
  • Use of metal shovels or ice chippers could damage the roof covering and allow leakage, wetting of insulation and damage to building contents.
• Be cautious of where snow is placed when removing it from the roof. Do not block building exits. Also, do not bury equipment such as fire hydrants, fire department connections, sprinkler, gas and other utility valves. Lastly, do not place piles where melting snow can cause seepage or flooding inside the building.
• Be aware that wet snow and ice are far heavier than fresh light snow and that the visible depth of the snow may be deceiving.
• Be aware of any warning signs that the building structure may be under significant stress and perhaps in danger of collapse.
  • Inspect interior structural members for any sign of deflection or cracking
  • Inspect interior and exterior walls and ceilings for signs of cracks that have recently developed
  • Look for cracked or broken windows
  • Inspect and test doors and windows, and make sure they continue to operate as designed
  • Look for any sprinkler heads that are pushed down below dropped ceiling tiles
  • Listen for any unusual creaking or popping sounds
• If there are signs of deflection or damage to the building’s structure, a qualified structural engineer should be contacted for an immediate inspection. Building evacuation, temporary shoring or similar forms of support may be warranted. Shutdown of gas mains and sprinkler systems may be advisable if the roof condition deteriorates and collapse is considered likely.
• Implement contingency plans if collapse is imminent or has occurred

Develop a Contingency Plan

• Prepare for the worst and develop plans to protect your building and equipment, including business continuity plans to identify other locations or organizations that could help keep your business operational.
• Have enough tarps on hand to protect goods and equipment if they need to be temporarily moved outdoors, or have plans to move them inside another safe building or structure.
• Clearly identify shut-off valves for utilities, such as gas, water and electricity.
• If the building is protected by automatic sprinkler systems and the system needs to be turned off, it is important to eliminate all possible sources of ignition, contact the fire department and your property insurance company.
• After the plan has been put in place, evaluate the effectiveness and make any necessary changes.

After the Storm

• Inspect your property for damage and implement your contingency plan
• Prepare for the next storm and make changes to your snow removal and contingency plans as necessary
• Report any damage and claims promptly to your insurance agent or broker

Information provided courtesy of Travelers

The information provided in here is intended for use as a guideline and is not intended as, nor does it constitute, legal or professional advice. Travelers does not warrant that adherence to, or compliance with, any recommendations, best practices, checklists, or guidelines will result in a particular outcome. In no event will Travelers, or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, be liable in tort or in contract to anyone who has access to or uses this information for any purpose. Travelers does not warrant that the information in this document constitutes a complete and finite list of each and every item or procedure related to the topics or issues referenced herein. Furthermore, federal, state, provincial, municipal or local laws, regulations, standards or codes, as is applicable, may change from time to time and the user should always refer to the most current requirements. This material does not amend, or otherwise affect, the provisions or coverages of any insurance policy or bond issued by Travelers, nor is it a representation that coverage does or does not exist for any particular claim or loss under any such policy or bond. Coverage depends on the facts and circumstances involved in the claim or loss, all applicable policy or bond provisions, and any applicable law.

The information provided in this document is intended for use as a guideline and is not intended as, nor does it constitute, legal or professional advice. Travelers does not warrant that adherence to, or compliance with, any recommendations, best practices, checklists, or guidelines will result in a particular outcome. In no event will Travelers, or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, be liable in tort or in contract to anyone who has access to or uses this information for any purpose. Travelers does not warrant that the information in this document constitutes a complete and finite list of each and every item or procedure related to the topics or issues referenced herein. Furthermore, federal, state, provincial, municipal or local laws, regulations, standards or codes, as is applicable, may change from time to time and the user should always refer to the most current requirements. This material does not amend, or otherwise affect, the provisions or coverages of any insurance policy or bond issued by Travelers, nor is it a representation that coverage does or does not exist for any particular claim or loss under any such policy or bond. Coverage depends on the facts and circumstances involved in the claim or loss, all applicable policy or bond provisions, and any applicable law. (A0425)