Clear Sky Consulting

About Us

We Help Communities and Organizations Build Resilience

It’s a fact. The world is seeing more natural disasters, driven by climate change, which are more impactful and more frequent. Human-caused emergencies are more prevalent than ever. And five years ago, the term “pandemic” was only found in plans and procedures.

Fortunately, there are organizations like Clear Sky Consulting who can help. Clear Sky brings over 25 years of public safety experience to assist with your emergency management planning, preparedness, and response capabilities. With emergency management experience in local government, provincial government, and volunteer organizations, Clear Sky can help you to be ready for, manage, and recover from the next event. Ask us how we can help.

Who We Are

Chris

Chris Marsh is an emergency management professional with over 25 years of public service and public safety experience.

Chris Marsh created Clear Sky Consulting in July of 2020 with the intent of supporting rural communities across the Western Canada in their emergency management planning. Prior to starting his own business, Chris was the Manager of Emergency Programs in local government. Over several years, Chris led the organization through several emergency events, including wildfire evacuations, hazardous materials spills, landslides, severe weather events, and multiple flooding emergencies. Chris was also a key member of the Emergency Management BC Temporary Emergency Assignment Management System (TEAMS) for almost 10 years.

Emergency Management Experience

Clear Sky provides years of emergency management experience to help your organization plan for and navigate complex emergency management problems. Clear Sky staff are well experienced in emergency operations centre management and operations. Clear Sky has provided many organizations with effective emergency management planning, research, reporting and emergency event management.

Experience, empathy, expertise and empowerment all contribute to highly effective, high functioning project teams that bring significant value to your emergency management requirements.

Commitment to our Emergency Management Partners

Clear Sky undertakes each project with two noticeably clear underlying principles in mind. One, there must be a direct benefit to the communities that the project will benefit. Emergency management planning directly increases the resilience of the communities involved, and the value is maximized when there is local input and involvement. Two, there must be a direct benefit and significant value to the emergency managers, responders, and organizational staff who manage these programs. Projects undertaken by Clear Sky must provide more than financial benefit but have a net positive effect on the organizations and individuals that Clear Sky works with.

Clear Sky Consulting leads highly effective teams with inclusion, collaboration, insight, and professionalism. These teams provide a high level of support for clients, while ensuring the resilience and effectiveness of team members and clients through empathy and compassion.

Associate Consultants

When required, Clear Sky partners with other consultants to form dynamic and responsive teams to undertake projects. These professionals and organizations help us undertake more complex projects while keeping overhead costs low. The groups include other emergency management consultants, flood and fire consultants, industry-specific experts, GIS consultants, engineering firms, mental health and social science professionals, and others.

What We Do

Emergency management planning

Including emergency plan reviews, audits, development, and refinement
Evacuation route planning
Emergency Operations Centre development, advisement, audits, and enhancement
Development of EOC quick start guides
Emergency event investigation, research, policy development and providing recommendations

Pandemic support

Including the development of plans, procedures, and systems to keep staff and clients safe and organizations operational

Flood Planning

Including the development of flood response plans, incident actions plans, and flood response

Incident Response

Including acting within an Emergency Operations Centre in any capacity

Disaster Recovery Plans

Including development of disaster recovery plans, disaster recovery teams, leading disaster recovery, and disaster recovery pre-planning

After Action Reviews

Analyzing incident response and recovery and providing collaborative feedback following disaster response, training sessions, and other events

Emergency Management Training and Exercises

Development of training and exercise plans, and undertaking training and exercise events

Portfolio

Clear Sky has been privileged to work with the following progressive organizations to assist with their emergency management needs.

Regional District of Kootenay Boundary

Developed an extensive disaster recovery plan for the organization

Authored a disaster recovery final report following two years of intensive recovery operations following the 2018 Boundary Flood

Contributed to a review of the district’s Flood Response Plan

Kootenay Boundary Community Services Cooperative

Developed policies, procedures, flow charts, quick reference guides, and other materials to support member organizations during the initial phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Audited and reviewed COVID-19 Safety Plans and other worker care documents for a variety of organizations

Fraser Basin Council

Participated in a project to investigate flood response and recovery practices within BC and across Canada to aid in the development of flood management strategies and policy

Authored a report on flood recovery practices and provided high-level recommendations

Ktunaxa Nation Council

Currently providing emergency management advice and guidance to four First Nations communities in southeast BC

General emergency management support

Review and rewrite of the emergency management and response plans for 3 communities

Grant writing and project management support

Williams Lake First Nation

Currently developing a Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment for this interior First Nation community

Also undertaking an emergency plan and program review, gap analysis, and providing mitigation recommendations

Cariboo Regional District

Supported the CRD Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) through the 2021 wildfire season by way of a deployment to manage the Planning Section of the EOC. Led a strategic emergency program review for the organization which resulted in 46 specific recommendations, and board of director approval to hire three new staff

Community Futures Greater Trail

Finalized a community-initiated economic resilience report, which is a road map for business support organizations to follow in the event of emergency events or significant economic impacts. This significant project was developed through consultation with dozens of organizations and community leaders, and a team of supporters to complete this complex and broad scope plan for resilience.

Red Dragon Consulting Ltd.

Red Dragon Consulting Ltd. is a close partner and peer organization to Clear Sky. Clear Sky and Red Dragon partner on many projects to increase capacity and knowledge base to undertake complex projects. These projects have included technical flood reports, flood response plans, strategic emergency program reviews, plans to enhance communications between governments and clients during wildfires, hazard, risk and vulnerability assessments, and other projects.

Tropospheric Measurement Systems (TMS)

TMS and Clear Sky have partnered to undertake a project to deliver water use and climate monitoring enhancements in support of agricultural producers in the Alberni Valley, on Vancouver Island. As well, TMS and Clear Sky are partners to develop and facilitate a user- and community-led Water Council to manage water related issues and to undertake advocacy efforts in support of Alberni Valley agricultural producers.

Contact Us

Chris Marsh

Principal, Clear Sky Consulting Ltd.

250.231.7526 | chris@clearskyconsulting.ca

688 Forrest Drive, Trail, BC V1R 2H6