At an annual program exercise in Huntsville today, the provincial CBRNE/Hazmat (chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear and explosives/hazardous materials) teams will demonstrate their abilities to maintain provincial public safety and reduce property loss.
Beginning early this morning, the Huntsville Fire Department responded and quickly assessed a liquid hydrogen chloride leak that occurred while it was being unloaded inside a Huntsville plant facility. It was determined that the emergency situation exceeded their local capabilities and CBRNE/Hazmat teams from Toronto and North Bay were notified to respond. A number of workers inside the plant will be affected by the leak and will require assistance from responders throughout the exercise. It is all part of the important training with realistic scenarios that CBRNE/Hazmat teams have come to expect and be evaluated on.
QUOTES
“Ontario has the capability to respond to a variety of emergencies at any time,” says Ontario Fire Marshal Pat Burke. “However, it’s important to keep our skills polished and that’s why these annual exercises are so important. CBRNE/Hazmat teams must be ready to respond to situations of varying complexities and be able to work effectively with municipal fire services as a team to maintain public safety and reduce property loss.”
“Through partnerships with the mutual aid system, municipalities and multiple emergency response organizations, it’s exercises like this one that can help us to assess our capabilities, solve problems, collaborate on issues and adequately anticipate future provincial and municipal needs,” said Carol-Lynn Chambers, Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) Operations Manager/Chief of Emergency Planning and Strategic Development.
QUICK FACTS
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Depending on the level of emergency response needed within the province,
the OFM coordinates nine hazardous materials teams who operate at
different levels. Strategically located throughout the province, all
teams can be notified and deployed 24/7 through the Provincial Emergency
Operation Centre.
- After 9/11, the OFM helped to establish a comprehensive emergency response system for the province in which provincial and municipal resources could be deployed. The purpose of this system is to provide an appropriate response to provincial emergencies and disasters, either natural or human-caused.
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Carol Gravelle, Office of the Fire Marshal, 416-325-3138
Bev Gilbert,
Office of the Fire Marshal, 416-325-3178
