Fire/Smoke/Evacuation FNIHB Update, July 14, 2015

NOTE: Changes are bolded

Key Messages

• Over 13,000 people have been evacuated. • Provincial/Red Cross system is providing for almost 10,000 people. • Evacuations will continue based on threat from fire/smoke. • Northern First Nation Health Services are actively participating/managing the response to the evacuations. • South and Central First Nation Health Services are providing mental wellness and nursing services to evacuees. • Health continues to work with First Nation, federal and provincial partners to ensure that the medical, cultural and mental health needs of evacuees are being met. Weather

• La Ronge: Tuesday July 14 - 22 degrees, winds SE 15 gusting to 35, showers with accumulations of 2-5 mm. • Buffalo Narrows: Tuesday July 14 - 26 degrees, winds W 10 gusting to 20, showers with accumulations of 2-5 mm. • • Due to improved smoke conditions in some areas, the Province is working with communities to determine whether re-entry criteria are met and residents may return. • For smoke and air quality updates, visit www.Firesmoke.ca

First Nation communities in the process of returning (limited to those evacuees that are not at risk of health problems & meeting reentry criteria)

• Montreal Lake (working on criteria) • Birch Narrows (working on criteria) • Buffalo River (planning repatriation)

Evacuation Status (the following is a list of the First Nation communities that are fully or partially evacuated)

FULLY EVACUATED (Health Facilities Closed unless otherwise noted)

Clearwater River Nation

• The Landing (this community has six homes.)

English River First Nation

• English River (Nursing Station is still open as 100 people are still in the community)

Lac La Ronge Indian Band

• Hall Lake • Laronge/Kitsaki • Sucker River

Montreal Lake Nation (Main Community)

PARTIALLY EVACUATED (Health Facilities are still open unless otherwise noted.)

• Birch Narrows First Nation • Buffalo River Dene Nation • Canoe Lake Cree First Nation (main reserve) • Clearwater River Dene Nation (the main community has no nurse, as she travelled with the priority 1 and 2 evacuees. Health Centre is open with non-medical staff. EMS is available from nearby La Loche.) • : Stanley Mission & Grandmother's Bay • Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation: Deschambault Lake, Southend

Wildfire Update

• Water bombers and helicopters have been active. • It is hoped that with the additional fire fighters (military personnel) there will be able to control and suppress the fires threatening communities. • If you want to stay on top of the fire situation around the Lac La Ronge Indian Band communities, you should bookmark Chief Tammy Cook-Searson's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TammyCookSearson • The Province continues to keep phones and power working and roads open. • Smoke will continue to be a problem in the north. Modelling of smoke can be found at: http://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/BSC00WC04/current/ • Here's the map of the current fires:http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/firefiles/activefires.pdf

• Here is the link to information for daily wildfire reports, activity maps, smoke, air quality and health, etc. http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/fire

Evacuation Centres

• As the evacuation continues, the anxieties and concerns of evacuees continues to increase. • The Mental Health Teams from the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), the STC Health and Family Services (STCHFS), the White Raven Healing Lodge and the (OLCN) continue to provide mental wellness supports in Prince Albert, , Regina and Cold Lake () respectively. • As evacuations may continue past next weekend, the Minsitry of Health has asked all Health Regions to identify the Nurse Practitioners, Community Health Nurses and Public Health Inpsectors that are able and willing to help provide nursing support services in the official evacuation centres.

Prince Albert Evacuation Centre

• The Prince Albert Grand Council, the Northern Inter Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) and FNIHB are providing nursing services in Prince Albert in coordination with PA Parkland Health Region (PAPHR). • Staff from FNIHB's North Service Centre continue to assist at the evacuation centres.

Saskatoon

• The Saskatoon Health Region continues to provide the primary care and public health needs at the centres. • FNIHB is providing additional funding to STCHFS to ramp up services at the STC Urban Clinic as evacuees are accessing services from the clinic. • FNIHB nurses are scheduled to provide services at the evacuation centres.

Regina

• FNIHB is providing nurses to work with Regina Qu'Appelle Heath Region's primary care and public health teams. • Community Health Nurses from File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council are be scheduled into the rotation next week. • The 200 Evacuees remaining at Evraz Place will be moved to Saskatoon.

North Battleford

• Prairie North Health Region continues to provide the health support for the evacuees in hotels.

Cold Lake

• While this site is in Alberta it is being managed as part of the Saskatchewan's response. • Nursing services are being provided by Alberta Health Services. • Alberta FNIHB has NIHB personnel on site to facilitate access evacuees access to benefits. • An Alberta FNIHB EHO is on site to provide inspection and assessment services at the evacuation centre (in coordination with Alberta Health Services EHOs) and at English Bay on the Cold Lake First Nation where approximately 120 evacuee are camped out.

Unofficial Evacuation Centres

• Meadow Lake--while this not an official site, there are evacuees in hotels and camping out. The Meadow Lake Tribal Council is providing meals at Flying Dust. Prairie North Health Region (PNHR) has reported no pressures on their medical services in the community. • As want to support First Nations the Prince Albert Grand Council is working with First Nations within the Prince Albert to explore establishing on reserve evacuation centres. • PAGC Health staff assessed four First Nations for appropriate evacuation sites; the First Nations assessed using Red Cross and Emergency Social Services criteria were: , Beardy & Okemasis Willow Cree First Nation, and the . All four passed the assessment. • Beardy's & Okemasis is currently providing shelter and food for approximately 170 evacuees. • Ahtahkakoop has 19 evacuees, that moved over from Cold Lake. Six are staying with family and friends. The remaining 23 are being housed at the School. • Thirty five evacuees from the Cold Lake have relocated to the Onion Lake Cree Nation and are staying at either the Recreation Centre or staying with family or friends. • The Muskeg Lake Cree Nation has opened its old Band Office to 40 evacuees. • Environmental Health Officers from PAGC, STCHFS and FNIHB are providing food safety and sanitation assessments at the request of the host First Nations. • At this time neither the Province nor AANDC is supporting the use of evacuation centres on reserves. The position taken is that there is limited capacity and it does not make sense moving evacuees from urban centres where there is easier access to resources and services. They have also suggested this proposal should be explored after the fire evacuations are over.

Lifting of Evacuations

• Dr. Ndbuka, Medical Health Officer, Northern Inter- Tribal Health Authority, will provide the health authority clearance before evacuees are repatriated to their home communities. The MHO will work with First Nation leaders, Provincial Emergency Social Services and Provincial Wildfire Management to assess whether not evacuees may be repatriated using the following criteria: 1. Fire Threat 2. Smoke Threat 3. Available Medical Services 3. Availability of potable water, utilities and critical infrastructure. •

Non-Insured Health Benefits

• For evacuees in Saskatchewan, Maureen Sebastian, Program Officer, 306-780-7007 is the contact for NIHB issues. • For evacuees in Cold Lake, people should contact the NIHB person on site. •

Going Forward

• FNIHB is identifying human resources available within FNIHB and First Nation Health Services available to support the services to evacuees as the evacuation continue.