2020-2021 Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund  for Canadian Organizations

Deadline: 27 September 2019

Applicants are invited to submit proposals for the Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund 2020-2021 to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, economy and innovation of search and rescue activities as it relates to the response and prevention objectives of the National Search and Rescue Program (NSP).

Priorities

• Strengthen the National Coordination of Search and Rescue
  • In Canada, search and rescue (SAR) is a shared responsibility amongst a wide-raging list of partners throughout several jurisdictions across Canada. Innovative measures that promote or advance coordination and response capabilities across multiple jurisdictions are crucial to ensuring integrated coordination as well as long-term sustainment of a world-class SAR system.
  • The 2020-21 SAR NIF call for proposals will consider ‘provincial or territorial level projects’ that meet one or more of the following:
    • Initiatives that help integrate SAR with emergency management;
    • Initiatives that build disaster response capabilities within the volunteer SAR community ;
    • The development and implementation of national level training curriculum ;
    • Initiatives that support or promote information, data, and or knowledge sharing within or between SAR jurisdictions, including research and studies ;
    • The development and implementation of stakeholder agreements that facilitate interjurisdictional SAR response ;
    • Initiatives that seek to enhance national interoperability between SAR organizations (e.g. Incident Command System, multijurisdictional exercise, etc.).
• Emphasize and Effectively Coordinate SAR Prevention Efforts
  • In order to save lives, reduce pain and suffering, and minimize the economic and social burden associated with responding to SAR incidents, a renewed focus on prevention is necessary. The sought- after outcomes should aim to reduce the frequency, and mitigate the duration and severity of SAR incidents by altering behaviour, promoting timely alerting, and increasing the potential of survivability.
  • The 2020-21 SAR NIF call for proposals will consider projects that meet one or more of the following:
    • Research initiatives that seek to enhance SAR prevention programs or public education and outreach campaigns ;
    • Development, production, distribution and/or delivery of national or regional SAR incident prevention messaging.
• SAR in Indigenous Communities
  • An inclusive national governance construct for the SAR community is critical to the long-term, sustainability of Canada’s SAR system. Recent efforts by Public Safety Canada to strengthen the national governance construct for Canada’s SAR community involve the establishment of the whole-of-community National Search and Rescue Advisory Council, inclusive of several Indigenous organizations.
  • In order to build on recent advancements, it’s important to maintain a focus on the unique challenge of SAR in remote locations, as well as to ensure that groups responsible for SAR activities in Indigenous communities across the country continue to have a voice.
  • The 2020-21 SAR NIF call for proposal will consider projects that meet one or more of the following:
    • The development and implementation of SAR initiatives that focus on communication, engagement and outreach with Indigenous communities.
    • Development and implementation of initiatives to establish or bolster sustainable SAR capacity and capability.

Funding Information

The annual SAR NIF budget is $7.6M. With multi-year projects ongoing the availability of funds for new projects will vary from year to year.

Eligible Recipients

The eligible recipients of the Program include the provincial and territorial governments, profit and not-for-profit Canadian organizations and associations from volunteer, academic or private sectors, and individuals.

How to Apply

A scan signed version of the completed application, as well as the completed word version, must be submitted electronically via the given website.

For more information, please visit https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/mrgnc-mngmnt/rspndng-mrgnc-vnts/nss/nif-prpsls-en.aspx