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SAR NEW INITIATIVES FUND

Implementing an interoperable all hazards approach to incident management

By the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC)

Photo Credit: Don Blakely, Vernon SAR

The response to emergency incidents in Canada, including ground search and rescue (GSAR) incidents, has frequently been a command and control challenge when crossing jurisdictional boundaries and/or when working with multiple cooperating and supporting agencies and organizations. A standardized pan-Canadian incident management system will address interoperability issues, deficiencies and incompatibility between competing management systems.

Many jurisdictions have acknowledged their support for the Incident Command System (ICS) as the standard command and control structure for emergency management across Canada and internationally. ICS is a proven management system built on best practices and is the result of decades of lessons learned in the organization and management of emergency incidents and planned events. ICS has been tested through more than 30 years of application, by all levels of government and in the private sector.

Although there had not been a recognized standard Canadian version of ICS, many organizations within Canada have adopted the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) version over the last ten years.

The CIFFC version had been developed primarily for the wild land fire management community. But as challenges arose when delivering ICS material to other emergency response audiences, CIFFC recognized the need to update the training curriculum to meet the needs of an all hazard/all risk audience. It also mirrored some of the changes to the base training materials that had occurred in the United States as a result of the US Department of Homeland Security directive mandating the use of ICS in their country.

In cooperation with a group of project partners including The Ground Search and Rescue Council of Canada, The Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Alberta Emergency Management Agency, and Parks Canada Agency, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre was successful in receiving funding from the Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund. The financing allowed the revision and update of the CIFFC ICS version to an all hazard/all risk model. The project "Incident Command System for Search and Rescue: Implementing an Interoperable All Hazards Approach to Incident Management" has a number of objectives including:

• Revision and updating of the Canadian (CIFFC ICS) doctrine to an all hazard/risk approach.
  
  
• Develop student and trainer classroom materials for the four "system" courses (I-100 through I-400) in an all hazard/all risk approach.
  
  
• Develop "I-100 Introduction to ICS" as an online course for GSAR and other emergency responders.
  
  
• Establish core competencies, certification criteria and database for ICS positions.
  
  
• Establish ICS instructor certification criteria, train the trainer programs and a database for instructors.
  
  
• Provide mentoring opportunities for GSAR individuals to increase their depth and experience in implementing ICS.
  
  
• Promote ICS as the national command and control system for GSAR and other emergency incidents and planned events.
  
  
• Develop an organization (ICS Canada) to maintain the integrity of a revised all hazard/all risk ICS system.
  
  
• Provide all training materials in both official languages.
  
  

The project is in now in the second of its three year duration with significant progress made to date. The ICS Canada doctrine has been updated to reflect an all hazard/all risk approach. The classroom versions of both the I-100 and I-200 courses have been completed and are available for delivery by qualified instructors. The I-100 introductory course is also available as a self study workbook with the expectation of online conversion in early 2012. The first I-200 Train the Trainer course for GSAR will be offered in October 2011. Both the I-100 and I-200 course materials are currently being translated into French.

The suite of I-300 and I-400 course materials have been drafted and will be test delivered and finalized in the fall of 2011. Work progresses on instructor certification processes as well as ICS position core competencies and tracking systems.

On a strategic level, the SAR NIF project has been a catalyst in bringing together a much larger emergency management community interested in managing an ICS system for Canada going forward. This ICS Canada initiative continues to gain momentum and will ensure the viability of a relevant Canadian Incident Command System long after the SARNIF project has been completed.

The project is on track to meet its objectives and provide a standard all hazard/all risk ICS doctrine and training regime to GSAR and other emergency response organizations. The increased interoperability both within the GSAR community and with strategic co-operators and assisting agencies will increase the effectiveness, efficiency and safety of GSAR incidents and other emergency response operations.

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