OBJECTIVE

Public Safety Lifeline volunteers and volunteer groups are responsible for the care and maintenance of their own equipment during operational and training tasks. As well, volunteers often travel some distance to an incident or training site and spend prolonged time away from their work and home.

Public Safety Lifeline volunteers and volunteer groups shall not be faced with an onerous financial burden because of the volunteer work they do on behalf of the responsible agencies.

The Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) is reviewing all volunteer policies in order to align these policies with the provincial government core policies and guidelines where appropriate. As well, there is a need to ensure that all five Public Safety Lifeline Volunteer Groups are treated as equitably as possible.

In order to reduce duplication and inconsistency of policy regarding reimbursement rates for Public Safety Lifeline volunteers and volunteer groups the following policies are rescinded and replaced by this interim policy and procedures bulletin:

• 05.12 Reimbursement Rates – Volunteers and Volunteer Groups
• 01.03 Meal Reimbursement – Emergency Service Volunteers
• 00.08 Accommodation Expense Reimbursement – Volunteers
• 00.05 Volunteer Child Care Expense
• 00.01 Search and Rescue Equipment

This interim policy and procedures bulletin will override some sections of Policy 05.01 Road Rescue Services, including all rates in Annex A other than pumper trucks. Policy 05.01 Road Rescue Services will be amended shortly.

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GENERAL

PEP is committed to providing reasonable reimbursement of expenses to all five Public Safety Lifeline volunteers and volunteer groups while under approved operational or training tasks. Unless otherwise specified in a sub-section, the Public Safety Lifeline volunteers affected by this policy are:

• Emergency Social Services (ESS)
• Search and Rescue
• Road Rescue
• Emergency Communications
• PEP Air

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POLICY

PEP will reimburse Public Safety Lifeline volunteers and volunteer groups for defined personal out-of-pocket expenses and for the use of their equipment and property for approved emergency response or training tasks.

Expense Reimbursement Approval

PEP Task Number

The necessary approval, by either an emergency response or training task number, must be obtained before the appropriate reimbursements can be approved.

The issuance of a task number shall not be regarded as an automatic approval of reimbursement requests.

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Training Task Number

All expense reimbursements and allowances to be claimed under a training task number must be pre-approved. Refer to the current policy on Application for Training Task Number.

 

Expense Authority

A PEP Regional Manager must approve all volunteer expense reimbursement claims.

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Meal Allowances

Volunteers and volunteer groups shall use the most current Expense Reimbursement and Allowance Rate Chart to determine the meal allowance claim. When meals are provided, volunteers may not claim for these meals unless they have special dietary needs that prevent them from eating the food provided.

Operational Task (Emergency Response)

Where the operational task exceeds three hours duration, the individual volunteer may claim for one meal every three hours to a maximum of four meals per 24 hour period. This 24 period shall include the travel time of the individual volunteer portal to portal. Portal to portal shall be understood as the round trip from the volunteer’s residence to the assembly point and/or incident site.

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Travel

Accommodation Expense

Volunteers who require accommodations due to an operational or training task must have pre-approval from a PEP Regional Manager.

Reimbursement for commercial or private accommodation within BC must be in accordance with the provincial government Core Policy and Procedures Manual. Refer to the most current Expense Reimbursement and Allowance Rate Chart for information. Soft-sided accommodations such as tents will be considered private accommodations for the purposes of the accommodations reimbursement claim.

Accommodation expenses within BC that exceed the limits established by this guide require specific pre-authorization to exceed this limit from a PEP Regional Manager. Amounts in excess that are considered acceptable may be determined on a case by case basis, considering variables such as the urgency of the travel, whether travel is occurring in peak season and if accommodations at the established limits are not available.

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Mileage Allowance

Volunteers and volunteer groups may claim mileage when using a privately owned vehicle on an operational task. Volunteers are expected to carpool where practical to minimize costs.

Mileage claims for a training task must be pre-authorized by a PEP Regional Manager.

Refer to the current Expense Reimbursement and Allowance Rate Chart for the mileage rates in effect.

 

Miscellaneous Travel Expenses

Volunteers on an operational task are entitled to claim miscellaneous travel expenses for:

• ferry tolls, ferry reservation fees and highway tolls
• airport improvement and security fees, NAVCANADA fees and applicable fuel charges
• parking charges
• Telephone, cellular and satellite calls related to the operational task
• personal phone calls (one five-minute telephone call home for each night away)

Receipts and/or statements showing the charges incurred are required for all miscellaneous travel expenses other than personal phone calls.

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Volunteer Child Care Expenses

The Provincial Emergency Program may authorize the reimbursement of child care expenses for a volunteer on an operational task in the following circumstances:

• the volunteer is the only available service provider with the required skill-set for the operational task;
• there is no one else at the volunteer’s residence to provide child care;
• prior authorization by a PEP Regional Manager to have child care expenses reimbursed has been received;
• child care expenses are not being funded by an employer or other agency.

Volunteer child care expenses will not be paid for volunteers under a training task.

Volunteer child care reimbursement rates can be found in the current Expense Reimbursement and Allowance Rate Chart.

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Occupational Health and Safety ( OSH) Supplement

The OSH supplement will provide volunteer teams with funds to assist in accessing training that will minimize the OSH risks to volunteers during operational tasks. This supplement represents a percentage of the total claim from an operational task excluding extraordinary costs such as helicopters.

The OSH supplement can be claimed under the following conditions:

• this supplement must be claimed by a volunteer group and is not available for individuals
• this supplement must be claimed by each volunteer group in a mutual support operational task based on the amount claimed by the group and its members
• this supplement can only be claimed for operational tasks
• while all volunteers groups are eligible to claim the OSH supplement, for the purposes of the OSH supplement, an Emergency Social Services (ESS) Level 1 response is not an eligible operational task
• a volunteer group that participates in a call out, i.e. the deployment of the group is cancelled either en route to the site or at the site before any volunteer response activity has occurred, may not claim the OSH supplement
• the OSH supplement percentage rate and the minimum supplement amount can be found in the current Expense Reimbursement and Allowance Rate Chart

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Equipment

Volunteer Group Equipment Allowance

Volunteer groups will be able to claim a daily Volunteer Group Equipment Allowance for each volunteer who participates in an operational task. This daily allowance replaces previous radio equipment allowances and can be claimed under the following conditions:

• this allowance must be claimed by a volunteer group and is not available for individuals
• this allowance must be claimed by each volunteer group in a mutual support operational task based on the number of group members participating
• this allowance can only be claimed for operational tasks
• this allowance cannot be claimed for convergent volunteers
• this allowance is limited to the following Public Safety Lifeline volunteer groups:
  • Search and Rescue
  • Emergency Communications including Amateur Radio
  • Road Rescue
  • PEP Air (when on PEP tasking)
• a volunteer group that participates in a call out, i.e. the deployment of the group is cancelled either en route to the site or at the site before any volunteer response activity has occurred, may not claim the Volunteer Group Equipment Allowance
• the Volunteer Group Equipment Allowance can be found in the current Expense Reimbursement and Allowance Rate Chart

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Vehicles

Rates

These rates are in addition to the mileage rate. Rates can be found in the current Expense Reimbursement and Allowance Rate Chart.

 

Call Out

The call out rate is used when the deployment of the group is cancelled either en route to the site or at the site before any volunteer response activity has occurred. For road rescue, a volunteer response activity involves extrication or embankment rescue. Refer to Policy 05.01 Road Rescue Services.

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SAR Command Vehicle Allowance Rate

A SAR volunteer group may claim these rates for the vehicle from which the response is managed. If the command vehicle is a trailer, the motor vehicle pulling the trailer and trailer are treated as one unit.

As well, they serve to reimburse the volunteer group for the use of all equipment and administrative supplies associated with the command vehicle.

During a mutual support operational task, only the primary SAR volunteer group may claim these rates. However, in unusually large emergency responses, a PEP Regional Manager may choose to pre-authorize a claim for the use of additional command vehicles.

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Communications Vehicle Allowance Rate

A volunteer group using a vehicle specifically for the provision of emergency communications during an operational task may claim this rate. The vehicle must be staffed by Emergency Communications volunteers

There is no call out allowance for communications vehicles.

During a mutual support operational task, only the primary volunteer group may claim these rates. However, in unusually large emergency responses, a PEP Regional Manager may choose to pre-authorize a claim for the use of additional communications vehicles.

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Feeding Van Allowance Rate

A volunteer group using a vehicle specifically for the provision of cooking and/or serving food to Public Safety Lifeline volunteers during an operational task may claim this rate. If the feeding van is a trailer, the motor vehicle pulling the trailer and trailer are treated as one unit.

These rates are in addition to the mileage rate. As well, they serve to reimburse the volunteer group for the use of all equipment and supplies other than food and consumables associated with the feeding van.

 Bulk food and other consumable purchases shall be reimbursed to the volunteer group. Such claims must be accompanied by a receipt for goods received.

If the volunteer group chooses to use a different organization for mobile food service, pre-authorization from a PEP Regional Manager must be obtained.

There is no call out allowance for feeding vans.

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Mutual Support Vehicle Allowance Rate

This allowance replaces the “first vehicle per group” allowance and applies to one vehicle per volunteer group under the following conditions:

• the group is not claiming the allowance rate for a command vehicle, communications vehicle, or feeding van
• the group is assisting in a mutual support operational task

There is no call out allowance for mutual support vehicles.

 

Equipment Expense Reimbursement Rates

Eligible equipment expense reimbursement rates can be found in the current Expense Reimbursement and Allowance Rate Chart. Should a volunteer group choose to rent equipment, the rental rate shall apply. All rental agreements should be pre-authorized by a PEP Regional Manager.

 

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PROCEDURES

Obtaining Approval

Volunteer groups on an operational task requiring pre-authorization for expense reimbursement and/or allowance claims according to the above policy should call their PEP Regional Manager either directly at the PEP regional office or by way of the PEP Emergency Coordination Centre at 1-800-663-3456.

All expenses incurred during a training task must be pre-approved in writing.

 

Required Forms (PEP Forms Matrix)

Task Registration Form

Claims for personal expenses will only be processed if a task registration form has been completed and signed by all volunteers participating on the task. If it is not possible to get all volunteers to sign the task registration form, the team leader must sign the form on their behalf. Refer to the current policy on Task Registration.

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Task Report

A Task Report must be completed for all PEP authorized activities for which a volunteer or volunteer group requests reimbursement of personal and group expenses incurred while engaged in an emergency response or training activity. Refer to the current policy on Task Report.

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Expense Reimbursement Request

A separate Expense Reimbursement Request form must be submitted with supporting documentation for each emergency response or training task that has been assigned a unique task number. Refer to the current policy on Expense Reimbursement Request.

 

Application for Training Task Number

A Public Safety Lifeline volunteer group should contact the PEP regional office to receive a verbal commitment that upcoming training will be funded by PEP. This verbal commitment must be followed by an Application for Training Task Number at least 28 days before the scheduled training.

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Authority to sign off forms

Volunteer Authority

A PEP Expense Reimbursement Request form will only be accepted by a PEP regional office if it is signed by a volunteer who is a member of a Public Safety Lifeline volunteer group and who is registered with PEP.

PEP Task Registration Forms and Task Report Forms must be signed by a Public Safety Lifeline volunteer group team leader who is registered with PEP. Where the operational task was performed in support of a local government, the Emergency Program Coordinator’s signature is also required.

PEP Application for Training Task Number forms are generally signed by the local government Emergency Program Coordinator. However, if a Public Safety Lifeline volunteer group is not affiliated with a local government, the form should be signed by a volunteer group team leader who is registered with PEP.

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PEP Authority

Please refer to the provincial government Core Policy and Procedures Manual (Chapter 4, Expense Management).

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APPROVAL

Submission of Claim

Volunteer expense reimbursement claims must be submitted to the appropriate PEP Expense Authority within 30 days of the last day of the task for which the claim is being made.

Exception from Policy

Any justifiable exceptions from this policy will require a recommendation from a Regional Manager and authorization from a Senior Regional Manager or another member of the PEP Executive.

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Effective Date

This interim policy and procedures bulletin will be in effect for all operational or training tasks initiated on or after October 15, 2006.

Approved by:

Jim McAllister
A/Deputy Director

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