It is our great honour to feature Larry Pearce as the first recipient of the T. Joseph Scanlon Lifetime Achievement Award in this issue of HazNet. Larry is a founder and leader of numerous national initiatives, networks and forums, including CRHNet, a giant in the field of public safety in Canada, a tireless volunteer, and, above all, a deeply caring person.
Larry Pearce has been volunteering in Canada for over 30 years and has been recognized by local and national organizations for his contributions over the course of the past ten years. Larry’s passion, both professionally and personally, has been to increase an understanding and awareness of the need for families, neighbourhoods, communities, provinces and territories to be prepared and ready to face the inevitable disasters that will occur.
One of his earliest projects was serving as the Executive Director for Pan-Pacific Hazards ’96 – Canada’s major initiative as part of the United Nations’ International Decade for Disaster Risk Reduction. Larry was elected to the Board of the Emergency Social Services Association (ESSA) of British Columbia in 1996 and was elected President in 1998 and remained in that capacity until 2004. He was a founding member of the Emergency Planning for Industry and Commerce Council (EPICC) in the 1990s, was elected to the Board of Directors in 2000 and took on the role of the EPICC Forum Program Chair, keeping that role until 2014.
Larry helped to establish CRHNet in 2003, and in 2009, Larry was approached to take on the mostly volunteer position of Executive Director for CRHNet. In 2015, he stepped down and the CRHNet Board of Directors created the CRHNet Larry Pearce Education Award. Now in his 80s, Larry still supports CRHNet and serves as the CRHNet “Ambassador”, promoting the organization and its efforts and providing advice to the Board.
Larry founded HazNet as a CRHNet newsletter in 2009 with a vision for a journal that would foster an active exchange between research and practice for disaster risk reduction, a vision that guides HazNet today. We are deeply grateful to Larry’s dedication as the Editor of HazNet, a position he held until 2015. To read HazNet issues edited by Larry visit: http://haznet.ca/past-issues/
To learn more about Larry Pearce visit: http://haznet.ca/haznet-fall-2017/
The CRHNet Awards Program is a national awards program established to recognize and honour exemplary individuals participating in and contributing to the study and practice of disaster risk management. The program is run by a standing committee of CRHNet members which reports to the CRHNet Board. CRHNet Awards are presented annually at the CRHNet Symposium held in the Fall of each year.
- Joseph Scanlon Lifetime Achievement Award– The “Scanlon Lifetime Achievement Award” is the organization’s highest honour. Presented annually, this award is offered to recognize the lifetime contributions and achievements of exemplary individuals to the enhancement of Canadian disaster safety. Eligibility for this award is open to all Canadians, and recognizes individual service to public safety through disaster management practice, research, education and leadership.
To learn more about the CRHNet Awards Program visit: http://www.crhnet.ca/programs/crhnet-award-program
