News Release

Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency's Heavy Urban Search & Rescue Team deploys to Toronto for Major Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Exercise

(Friday, November 23, 2007) - Today, the Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency's Heavy Urban Search & Rescue Team deployed 45 team members, including 3 K9 Members to Toronto. They are participating in the largest structural collapse exercise with mass casualties in Canadian history.

The exercise will take place this Friday at the former Constellation Hotel, 900 Dixon Rd.
Three hundred and thirty casualties with various life-threatening injuries will be extricated from mass rubble by Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) teams from Calgary (CAN-TF2), Toronto (CAN-TF3), Manitoba (CAN-TF4), and Halifax (CAN-TF5).

The Government of Canada must commit ongoing funding to maintain the five Canada Task Force teams if they expect to deploy them for national and international emergencies. These advanced HUSAR teams require extensive specialized training and high-tech search and rescue equipment.

This realistic exercise will showcase Canada's HUSAR teams and confirm their commitment to integrate with specialized provincial and federal partners.

For more information about Toronto Heavy Urban Search & Rescue Team visit http://www.toronto.ca/wes/techservices/oem/husar.

For further information contact:

David Meldrum, Public Information Officer
430-3820

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