Key Responsibilities of an Emergency Manager in DRR

1. Supporting Indigenous-Led Governance in Disaster Risk Reduction

• Work with Chief and Council, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers to ensure DRR strategies align with self-determined governance structures.
• Help communities develop their own emergency and hazard mitigation plans rather than relying on provincial or federal authorities.
• Advocate for greater funding and policy control over DRR initiatives, ensuring that federal programs like the Emergency Management Assistance Program (EMAP) are accessible and meet community needs.

Example: Develop a locally controlled wildfire management strategy that integrates cultural burning practices.

2. Integrating Traditional Knowledge in Hazard Mitigation

• Ensure that land-based knowledge, oral histories, and traditional ecological practices are used in disaster risk assessments and mitigation planning.
• Work with Knowledge Keepers and Elders to apply fire stewardship, water management, and traditional building techniques that naturally reduce disaster risks.
• Develop educational programs that pass on traditional environmental monitoring skills to younger generations.

Example: Working with Elders to map historical flood-prone areas and incorporate that knowledge into modern flood prevention efforts.

3. Conducting Hazard and Risk Assessments

• Lead community-based risk assessments that reflect local climate conditions, environmental hazards, and infrastructure vulnerabilities.
• Ensure that risk assessments consider both Western science and Indigenous ways of knowing to provide a more accurate picture of threats.
• Create and maintain hazard maps that include wildfire risk zones, flood-prone areas, and permafrost degradation sites.

Example: Working with GIS specialists to map erosion risks in a northern community experiencing rapid permafrost thaw.

4. Enhancing Climate Resilience and Sustainable Land Use

• Advocate for climate adaptation funding from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to support long-term risk reduction.
• Work with community planners to ensure that new housing, roads, and infrastructure are built in climate-resilient areas.