Office of Applied Research

With funding from the R. Howard Webster Foundation and support from the BC Institute against Family Violence. $413,000 over three years (2009 - 2012).

Summary of current CPRV research projects:

• "This is a man's problem": Strategies for working with South Asian male perpetrators of intimate partner violence
  Researchers: Gary Thandi, MSW and Bethan Lloyd, PhD
  
  • Executive Summary
  • Final Report (November 2011)
  • "South Asian Community Champions Against Domestic Abuse Forum" with funding supporf from the Department of Justice Canada as part of "National Victims of Crime Awareness Week: Many Voices, Many Parts".   Forum flyer  See OAR Events
  • Publication: Towards Healthier Violence-Free south Asian Families
  
• Code White - Hidden Curriculum - Documenting Relationships (Violence Reduction in Health Care Centres)
• Violence Reduction Circle - A collaboration of domestic and family violence researchers from  the University of Victoria,  UBC, Simon Fraser, NGO’s and hospital clinical settings.  The consortium is is developing a violence reduction framework for British Columbia
  •  "Domestic Violence Prevention and Reduction in British Columbia (200-2010)"
    Prepared by Katherine R. Rossier for the CPRV,  November 2011
    -  Executive Summary 
    -  Final Report  (November 2011)

 For full details, please see the Centre for the Prevention & Reduction of Violence Projects

Simulation Training and Exercise Collaboratory (SIMTEC): Enhancing CBRNE Psychosocial Capacity and Capability Management.

Note:  This project has been approved by the Centre for Security Science, DND and Health Canada.

Enhancing CBRNE Psychosocial Capacity and Capability Management. Centre for Security Science, DND CRTI 08-114RD.

Expected Start Date: May 2011
Completion Date: June 2015
Value: $3,635,604 ( CRTI $2,217,513 In-Kind $1,418,091)

Project details are on the SIMTEC website.

Objective

As the potential for terrorist and non-terrorist CBRNE events increase there is an identified need to develop evidence-informed, practical tools and guidelines for first responders and for those that provide psychosocial supports to them and the affected populations.   The key benefit that will accrue as a result of this contract is to prompt a more considered approach of the psychosocial dimensions of CBRNE and other hazard events by senior decision makers within first response organizations. The outcome of the work to be performed is to enhance Canada’s and the international community’s capacity to respond more effectively to CBRNE and other threats. The four primary benefits will be to:

• enhance the existing knowledge base regarding how senior decision makers and Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) personnel incorporate psychosocial considerations into  strategic and tactical decisions while responding to CBRNE and other threats through:
  • the development and implementation of a web based Collaboratory for researchers from around the world to access, use and test disaster exercises (including scenarios and injects) and training materials developed through this project; and
  • the dissemination of findings at presentations at national and international conferences and in peer-reviewed and professional journals;
• assist first responders in incorporating psychosocial considerations into existing decontamination, CBRNE and other multi-casualty incident (MCI) protocols and procedures through the use of training sessions, materials and guidebooks;
• assist family physicians when providing trauma support for patients following CBRNE and other MCIs through the development of guidelines for psychosocial treatment; and
• identify practical evidence-informed psychosocial interventions to reduce stress levels and enhance decision making of senior personnel working in EOCs when responding to CBRNE and other threats.

Deliverables

The output of the research will be a training and exercise “collaboratory” (SIMTEC) or virtual laboratory of information, research, and expert dialogue focused on training and exercise for emergency responders and leadership with a specific emphasis on the psychosocial implications of disasters for responders and civilians. This collaboratory will include a digital library of exercises, injects, scenarios, simulated news footage, and exercise manuals which will act as a central repository or evolving compendium of resources for training and research.

Specifically the project’s research findings and deliverables are:

• a suite of exercises (including scenarios and multi-media injects); and
• psychosocial protocols, guidelines and training for family physicians/health care workers, victim support workers, psychosocial interveners, first responders, and senior decision makers/EOC personnel.

The exercises will be centred on the research data and experiences of responders from British Columbia and various Federal Partners but will be applicable to any developed country with a concept of operations which includes an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The protocols and guidelines will be of interest and applicable to any country.

Key Investigators

• Robin Cox, PhD,  JIBC Research Associate, Associate Professor Royal Roads University
• Laurie Pearce, PhD: Resaerch Chair, Research Associate, JIBC
• Colleen Vaughan, MEd, Director, JIBC EMD 

Building Resilience and Rural Health System Capability for Pre-Disaster Planning and Preparedness.   (Rural Disaster Resilience Project - RDRP)

Centre for Security Science, DND CRTI 07-135RD.

• Start Date: October 2008
• Completion Date: September 2012
• Value: $3,174,186 ( CRTI $1,930,500 In-Kind $1,243,686)

For details see the RDRP website. For a brief summary see the Charter Abstract and Quad Chart.

CSS Poster June 2010 

Project Description

The Project, launched in 2008, is designed to strengthen the community disaster management and health system capabilities of rural, remote, and coastal communities (RRC) through community-based action research that informs and influences policy and practice.

The Project will achieve this through:

• Knowledge exchange and dissemination
• Community-based and collaborative action research
• Capacity building
• Development & piloting of an integrated resilience/ risk assessment & management framework
• Development of accessible, relevant tools and curriculum

View the full project description.

 Why is the Project Important?

Disaster resilience – the ability to survive and thrive in the face of uncertainty – is the foundation of rural life.  It is also the cornerstone of effective emergency management across all phases of a disaster from preparedness through response and recovery.  There is much to learn about resilience from RRC communities; their resilience is one of Canada’s biggest assets.  At the same time, the emergency planning capacity of RRC is often constrained by a lack of resources and access to user-friendly risk mitigation planning tools and processes.

This community-centered research project is designed to capitalize on and learn from RRCs’ expertise and knowledge while testing a unique approach to planning. The Project will promote the transformational capacity of RRC communities by encouraging them to enhance their disaster resilience in the face of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) and all-hazard threats – including infectious disease outbreaks and disasters resulting from climate change. 

Project Funding

Funding support for this important project is provided both through substantial direct and in-kind financial contributions. The in-kind contributions from our three core partners accounts for a significant portion of the Rural Disaster Resilience Project’s total budget over four years. View full list of Project Partners.

The Project funding partners include:

• Centre for Security Science
• Justice Institute of British Columbia
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

Project Goal, Scope and Objective

Goal: The goal of this research project is to develop and pilot a participatory, community-centered process for engaging rural, remote and small coastal (RCC) communities in disaster risk reduction planning at the local level with a focus on enhancing local capacity and capability. The participatory approach to the research is designed to support the engagement of citizens in the pilot communities and to elicit and integrate their expertise and insights in the development of emergency planning project tools, curriculum, and process frameworks.

Scope: The research team will develop the Integrated Risk Assessment and Communication Management Framework (IRACMF) to enhance organizational all-hazards response planning along with a set of Rural Community Resiliency Indicators (RRI). Using primary and secondary data sources, engaged collaboration with key partners, needs assessments and pilot testing of curricula in five or more diverse communities, the project will develop a set of accessible, web-assisted, user-friendly tools and training materials to build capacity in RRC communities in Canada.

Objective: The objective is to ensure that the outputs of this research are relevant to the RRC community context and the project outcomes: (a) to empower RRC communities to become engaged in disaster risk reduction planning and decision-making and enhance their communities’ disaster resilience; (b) to provide a sustainable platform for the dissemination of rural-friendly disaster risk management tools, processes and curriculum; and (c) to shape and inform relevant regional, provincial/territorial, and federal policies through the research and the ongoing involvement of RRC citizens.

Principal and Co-Principal Investigators

• Greg Anderson, PhD,  JIBC Office of Applied Research (JIBC Administrative Project Lead and Co- Principal Investigator)
• Ron Bowles, PhD candidate, JIBC Office of Applied Research (Co- Principal Investigator)
• Carol Amaratunga, PhD, JIBC Research Associate (Co-Investigator)
• Robin Cox, PhD, JIBC Research Associate, Associate Professor Royal Roads University (Co-Investigator and Research Lead)
• Laurie Pearce, PhD, JIBC Research Associate, Pearces 2 Consulting Corporation (Co-Investigator)
• Murray Journeay, PhD; NRCan Scientist (Co-Investigator)
• Colleen Vaughan, MEd, Director, JIBC Emergency Management Division (Co-Investigator)

With funding support from the Vancouver Board of Trade Foundation $49,000 (2009-2011). An economic study with knowledge translation/engagement of BC policy audiences.  The report details the long term socio-economic costs of not investing in early childhood education in BC.  The Principal Investigator for this project is Dave Park, JIBC Research Associate and Economist Emeritus of The Vancouver Board of Trade.

• Kids 'N Crime Final Summary Report
• Kids 'N Crime Appendix
• Kids 'N Crime Colour chart

Research Partnerships

The JIBC Office of Applied Research is participating  as a partner in the following research projects: