DELTA, B.C. – Almost $1.5 million in federal funding will go to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre for their project regarding ICS Incident Management and Interoperability under the Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund (SAR NIF).
A statement from Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada says this funding will help the development of a national database for tracking Incident Command System (ICS) Canada-certified instructors and create a standardized catalogue of ICS reporting forms. This will help provide consistent data-gathering and raise situational awareness throughout all federal, provincial and territorial organizations that are using ICS Canada, especially in the search and rescue community.
Kim Connors, executive director of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre said the creation of ICS Canada “promotes true interoperability and provides all first responders the option of functioning under a common incident management system, providing the safest and most effective integration of multiple disciplines.”
Announcing the funding, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Member of Parliament for Delta and Minister of Public Services and Procurement, said: “I welcome this SAR NIF funding for the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre to develop an ICS Canada national database which will help enhance collaboration, information-sharing and data management among partners.”
Qualtrough also thanked volunteers “for their efforts during the wildfire season and the work they do to improve forest fire management.”