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Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Office of the Fire Marshal |
Ministère de la Sécurité
communautaire et des Services correctionnels |
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Ontario |
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Édifice Place Nouveau |
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For Immediate Release
Attention News/Assignment Editors:
Gravenhurst (April 5, 2006) – The Office
of the Fire Marshal (OFM), Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) and emergency response
experts from Canada and abroad will today wrap up their three-day seminar about
future emergency response management for the province of Ontario.
“This seminar is vital in helping to make Ontario a safer place in the future,”
says Bernard Moyle, Fire Marshal of Ontario. “Participants were provided with detailed
first-hand knowledge of how others have handled major international emergencies
and threats. It will be critical to use this information in laying the foundation
for similar emergency response management in Ontario communities.”
During the seminar entitled Executive Leadership Matters in
Complex Emergencies, two live demonstrations of Ontario’s inter-agency response
capabilities to major urban emergencies were held. In a
structural collapse scenario,
a dog was used to find people buried under debris and emergency crews carried out
specialized techniques to retrieve them. The second scenario, which highlighted
the hazards associated with toxic chemicals, required emergency response personnel
to retrieve an unknown liquid for analysis from a container found in a post office
box.
“The seminar also provided the opportunity to discuss best practices and lessons
learned from a variety of emergencies so we will be better prepared for any upcoming
challenges in Ontario,” says Julian Fantino, Commissioner of Emergency Management
Ontario.
Monte Kwinter, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, who addressed
the seminar today, said “This week's seminar will significantly improve the skills
and abilities of Ontario's emergency management leaders and better prepare the province
to respond effectively to an emergency.”
Hosted by the Ontario Fire College, the seminar was part of Ontario's continuing
efforts to enhance emergency preparedness and is in preparation for Emergency Preparedness
Week, May 7-13, 2006.
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For more information, please contact:
Carol Gravelle, Office of the Fire Marshal, (416) 325-3138
Jude Kelly, Emergency Management Ontario, (416) 314-8602
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