Call him the master of disaster if you will.
His name is Nicolas Meunier, a National Defence search and rescue team leader who has a masters degree in disaster and emergency management.
The CFB Comox SAR Tech (Search and Rescue technician) has completed a research project with local emergency personnel about co-ordination in case of disaster in the Valley. The project examines the level of collaboration in terms of disaster response and training techniques between the base and its civilian partners.
He says the research represents a paradigm shift to confirm and re-orient more than 30 disaster and emergency groups in the Valley, including CFB Comox.
"It's a brand new field," Sgt. Meunier said after presenting his conclusions and recommendations with members of the Comox Valley Emergency Program. "What the people start to understand is preparedness and education could save a lot of issues and a lot of struggle during the response and the recovery phase. The more you prepare the better chance you survive in a disaster."
Meunier has been deployed overseas nine times for disaster relief missions, humanitarian help, and war zone and international security in collaboration with the United Nations, NATO and governments around the world. He was a team leader in Haiti when the Caribbean nation was devastated by an earthquake in 2010.
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com