Community-to-Community EOC Deployment Survey Now Open
EMCR and the BCAEM are working collaboratively to pilot a province-wide Community-to-Community EOC Deployment Survey to help communities access additional EOC capacity during the 2026 wildfire and summer hazard season.
The initiative provides a way for people with EOC experience to identify their availability and willingness to deploy to another community when additional emergency management capacity is needed.
How the pilot works
Information submitted through the survey will be used to create a temporary, publicly accessible list of deployable personnel and posted on this web page. The directory will be available from August 24 to October 2, 2026, and will be updated weekly. A BCAEM membership is not required for submitting an expression of interest or using the list data.
Participation is voluntary and does not guarantee deployment. Organizations remain responsible for determining their operational requirements, approving personnel for deployment, and establishing deployment arrangements.
Additional to this list, some BCAEM members have opted to use our public-facing directory to advertise themselves. Check our member directory for deployable Professional, Practitioner, and Associate members.
The survey asks for:
- Name and contact information
- Consent to have information included in the public directory
- EOC and Incident Command System (ICS) experience
- Availability through October 2, 2026
- Geographic restrictions or deployment limitations
Who can participate?
The initiative is intended primarily for local government and First Nations staff who can fulfill one or more EOC positions (ICS-like), such as Management, Operations, Planning or Logistics. Retired emergency management professionals and contractors, and independent consultants can also express their interest.
For individuals and organizations, participation can provide an opportunity to support communities experiencing operational demands while also gaining experience in different EOC environments, cross-training in new roles and building relationships with disaster and emergency management colleagues across British Columbia.
Community-to-community support
Communities requiring EOC capacity can use the Deployment Directory to identify potential personnel and contact the associated deploying community. The two communities then establish the details and terms of the deployment.
Deployments will follow the existing EMCR Financial Assistance Standards, including requirements related to expenditure authorization, eligible costs, travel, accommodation, invoicing and response claims.
The Central, Southeast and South Coast regions are expected to have a higher likelihood of deployment opportunities, although needs will depend on where emergency operations are underway.
Take part in the pilot
Local governments and First Nations are encouraged to share the survey with qualified staff who may be available to support another community during the 2026 hazard season.
Survey deadline: September 25, 2026
Questions about the survey can be directed to pecc.lia1@gov.bc.ca. Individuals who subsequently wish to have their information removed from the directory can contact outreach@bcaem.ca.
A pilot for a more permanent solution
This initiative is intended as a just-in-time pilot for the 2026 wildfire response season. The temporary directory will conclude on October 2, after which the existing processes for communities leveraging established relationships and PREOCs canvassing for support will resume.
If successful, both the BCAEM and EMCR will work with partners to explore a more permanent solution to support community-to-community EOC capacity sharing across British Columbia.
Additional resources: