About Us
To cater to our clients' specific needs, we specialize in creating unique products tailored to their individual requirements. Our expert team collaborates closely with our clients to understand their requirements and challenges. By deeply understanding your needs, Fortress will design and develop products that perfectly align with your expectations and seamlessly integrate with supporting organizations and agencies within your areas of operation. We prioritize customization and personalization and ensure that each product is one-of-a-kind and meets the organization's current and ongoing needs to enhance internal capacity.
At Fortress Consulting Services, we have a team of experienced consultants who have been assisting and working within organizations in managing and overcoming crises for over 50 years. Our expertise lies in various fields, such as organizational emergency planning and exercising, vulnerability assessments, business continuity, training delivery, and physical security. We have worked with government entities and privately owned businesses in Canada and the United States, providing them with effective strategies to mitigate, plan, respond, and recover from crises. Our team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, enabling us to offer superior products to our clients. Whether it's developing emergency response plans or designing and delivering a full-scale emergency exercise, we are committed to helping organizations increase their level of resilience.
Mission
At Fortress, our mission is to assist organizations in becoming more resilient. We understand the importance of being able to adapt and recover in the face of challenges and uncertainties. Our commitment is to empower our clients to thrive in today's ever-changing landscape by equipping you with the tools and knowledge to navigate through difficult times and ensure long-term success.
Our company is built on a strong foundation of values guiding our actions. We prioritize integrity, innovation, and effective communication as core principles of our business. We pride ourselves on fostering excellent relationships and finding new and better ways to serve our clients. Collaboration is a cornerstone of our company culture, and we passionately believe in working together to produce a product reflective of best practices while remaining practical for the client. Finally, adaptability is crucial in our ever-changing business landscape, allowing us to stay ahead of the curve and meet and exceed the needs of our clients.
Value Statement
Who We Are
Amanda Barr
Amanda completed her four-year Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandon University in 2009, with a major in Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies (focus on Planning and Management) and a minor in Psychology.
Amanda was drawn to the public sector after a successful stint at Caliber Planning Inc., a private firm in Calgary, Alberta, where she provided emergency response planning to the oil and gas industry. She seized an opportunity to work with the Canadian federal government, a move that marked the beginning of a 14-year career in emergency management.
In 2009, Amanda worked with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) as a Preparedness and Response Officer. Much of her work at PHAC focused on pandemic planning for the federal government in the Manitoba/Saskatchewan region. In 2010, she was asked to work as the Communicable Disease Emergencies Coordinator for Health Canada in the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch. Her time here was spent working with First Nation Communities in Saskatchewan to support their efforts in health emergency planning and preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks.
In 2014, Amanda took a position with Public Safety Canada in the Emergency Management Program Branch - Prairie Region (EMPB Prairie/NWT Region). She became the Regional Program Officer and retired as the Acting Regional Manager in the EMPB Prairie/NWT Region. During her time here, she expanded her previous skills in health emergency management into several different emergency management subject matter areas. Her passion lies in ensuring the resilience of critical infrastructure, strategic planning for mass casualty and planned events, and exercise design and delivery.
Amanda retired from public service in 2024 to pursue her plan to start a consulting business. Passionate about continuing a career in Emergency Management, she became one of the founders of Fortress Consulting Services.
Ray Unrau
Ray Unrau's career in Emergency Management spans over 40 years, during which he has operated at tactical, operational, and strategic levels. His journey began as a paramedic, where he coordinated and led a private rescue team to Armenia following the devastating 1988 earthquake. This mission, aiding 500,000 homeless residents and saving countless lives, was just the beginning of Ray's impactful career.
He later joined the City of Saskatoon Fire Department, specializing in training medical HAZMAT and heavy rescue. As Saskatoon's Director of Emergency Management, Ray led a change management program to design and implement an innovative emergency operation center with the inter-organizational policies needed to ensure success. Following that, he was a driving force in designing and implementing an interagency Mobile Command Unit.
Ray moved from the City of Saskatoon to the Saskatchewan Government, ultimately assuming the Chief of Emergency Management role within the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). While with the SPSA, Ray developed and implemented a new governance model for the provincial Emergency Operations Center and a new planning unit called the Intelligence Situational Awareness Team (ISAT). The ISAT currently functions as the SPSA's Emergency Management backbone for operational coordination.
Now retired from public service, Ray enjoys working in all aspects of the EM landscape by focusing on public safety through improving organizational resilience.