The Municipality of the County of Annapolis, the Town of Annapolis Royal, and the Town of Middleton have entered into an inter-municipal agreement with a purpose to provide comprehensive emergency services to the region, to render mutual aid with respect to personnel and equipment during an emergency, and for joint provision of service and facilities by the parties hereto in accordance with Section 60 of the Municipal Government Act and Section 10 of the Emergency Management Act.

Annapolis REMO is responsible for providing a prompt and coordinated response to emergencies that occur within its jurisdiction.  Annapolis REMO becomes involved in local emergencies when the impacts on the community exceed the community's normal coping resources. During normal operations, routine or minor emergencies are within the response capabilities of the municipalities first response agencies (police, fire & EHS), with no or minimal need for Annapolis REMO assistance. However, a major emergency will likely go beyond normal capabilities and require multi-jurisdictional involvement, procedures and coordination. It is only when a multi-jurisdictional event requiring an extraordinary response occurs that Annapolis REMO gets actively involved. 

Before an emergency, Annapolis REMO promotes preparedness and educates residents on their responsibility to prepare and support their own families and property in an emergency. During an emergency, Annapolis REMO works behind the scenes to provide resources to first responders, facilitates linkages between partners and organizations, and requests the need for emergency shelters when required. After an emergency, Annapolis REMO works with municipal units, the province, and other stakeholders to recover from the emergency and get services back up and running as quickly as possible.

Note: An "Emergency", means a present or imminent event in respect of which the Minister or a municipality, as the case may be, believes prompt co-ordination of action or regulation of persons or property must be undertaken to protect property or the health, safety or welfare of people in the Province.



Annapolis REMO consists of the following:


Regional Emergency Management Advisory Committee (REMAC)
Responsible to advise Municipal Councils of emergency preparedness activities within the region pursuant to the Emergency Management Act. This committee consists of the Mayor / Warden of each of the municipalities and a councillor from each Municipality appointed by their respective councils. 

Regional Emergency Management Planning Committee (REMPC)
Responsible for recommending procedures for maintaining a reasonable state of preparedness for emergencies and assisting the Emergency Management Coordinator in preparation and coordination of the Emergency Management Plans. This involves thinking about what kinds of hazards may create emergencies in Annapolis County, and figuring out who would have to do what to minimize the impact. This committee consists of CAO’s and municipal staff from each municipal unit, as well as stakeholder organizations which may have direct operational responsibilities in an emergency. 

(Stakeholders - Canadian Red Cross(CRC), NS Dept. of Community Services(DCS), Nova Scotia Health(NSH), Emergency Health Services(EHS), RCMP and Town of Annapolis Royal Police, Greenwood Amateur Radio Club, Nova Scotia Emergency Measures Organization (NSEMO), NS Dept. of Public Works (NSDPW), Natural Resources (DNRR), Annapolis County Ground Search & Rescue (ACGSAR), Annapolis County Fire Services, Nova Scotia Power, Salvation Army, Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education (AVRCE), etc.

Regional Emergency Management Coordinator (REMC)
Responsible to coordinate and prepare the municipal Emergency Management Plan, training, and exercises. Other duties include acting as a liaison officer during an emergency, chairing the Emergency Management Planning Committee during non-emergency meetings, preparing emergency management contingency plans, ensuring the Emergency Management Plan is current.

Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC)
In a wide-spread emergency, the Annapolis REMO activates the Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC). From here, members of the Annapolis REMO come together to help organize the response to the emergency. The CAO of the affected area becomes the ECC Manager, responsible for all decisions about the response to the crisis.  In a county-wide emergency, CAOs can share the duty of ECC Manager, and members of all municipal staffs participate in the planning, response, and recovery.