Planning Section Chief Course Review - 02 April to 05 April 2024

Emerson Lake, High River, AB (photo by V.A. McMillan, 2023)

 

Title: Planning Section Chief Course Review – 02 April to 05 April 2024

 

The Town of High River with the High River Fire Department hosted the Planning Section Chief course delivered by Daryl Black of Exigent Academy (https://www.exigentinc.ca/43055/academy/). The program was delivered at the Memorial Centre in High River, Alberta between the 2^nd and the 5^th of April 2024. The Alberta Emergency Management Agency was also present to ensure their endorsement was not misplaced. The program had other ICS role specific training – Incident Commanders, Operations Section Chiefs, Logistics Section Chiefs, and Task Force Leaders/Strike Team Leaders. In all, over 100-students received exceptional training in their specialty.  

For many who take ICS (Incident Command System) training, there is little opportunity for enhanced training beyond the ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, and ICS-400 courses. Thankfully, organizations like Exigent Academy are stepping in to fill this knowledge gap. The first operational period should NOT be the place where you learn about the role you need to fulfil. Daryl Black and his team of instructors did a fantastic job of sharing their personal experiences and knowledge of ICS and incident management. I did not encounter any student who expressed any displeasure with their learning experience. Kudos, Daryl!

This training event was hosted in the Memorial Centre in downtown High River. A fitting venue, since some of the case studies discussed included the 2013 Southern Alberta Floods, which flowed down streets right close to the Memorial Centre. Not only was the training excellent, the catering service for the provided lunches throughout the week was also excellent. Easier to learn when you are in an appropriate facility and eating great food during the lunch break…good food fuels learning well.

So, what did it cost, you ask??? Each role specific training cost $875 and that included access to digital student manuals and the catered lunches. In my biased opinion, it was a good value. For those considering getting onboard for the next training opportunity, just know that ICS-300 is a pre-requisite.

Until next time…Get some training!

VAM.