Salvation Army Director Wins Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award

Divisional Director of Emergency Disaster Services, Ian Pollard, was recently acknowledged for his outstanding work in emergency management and received an Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award. Ian was recognized in a ceremony held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for his efforts managing emergency disaster responses in 2021.

The ceremony was presided over by the Honorable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Canadian Pacific Economic Development Agency and the Honorable Bloyce Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Justice, Public Safety and Attorney General of Prince Edward Island.

Assistant Territorial Director for Emergency Disaster Services, Dan Millar, receiving the award on Ian’s behalf.

In 2021, Ian coordinated The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) that provided thousands of meals, snacks and drinks to people affected by the wildfires and atmospheric rivers our province faced that year. Support was provided to remote Indigenous communities devastated by the Lytton bushfires. Ian’s contribution and efforts to emergency management have helped provide vital support to evacuees, first responders, and other emergency management workers during disasters.

During the ceremony that awarded 124 winners from diverse categories, the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Harjit Sajjan, highlighted the importance of the winners’ actions.

“Across Canada, there are many individuals and groups dedicated to keeping Canadians safe in the face of emergencies. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate the 2022 recipients for their incredible efforts each day to help transform our emergency management landscape. Your hard work and dedication are deserving of our utmost respect and gratitude. I’m also grateful to provinces and territories for their collaboration to recognize these leaders and look forward to our continued work to award this prestigious honour to deserving individuals across the country.” – Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness.

Ian Pollard is The Salvation Army’s Divisional Director of Emergency Disaster Services, and co-chair of the British Columbia Integrated Disaster Council. He also volunteers as a member of the Incident Command team.

To learn more about Emergency Disaster Services please visit salvationarmy.ca/eds