# CF to be Involved in Ontario's Ex Trillium Response



## The Bread Guy (10 Nov 2008)

*McGuinty Government Leads Largest Ever Emergency Exercise*
Government of Ontario news release, 10 Nov 08
News release link

Ontario will test its ability to respond to a disaster by participating in
the largest emergency response exercise held in recent history.
    Exercise Trillium Response will involve all levels of government and will
simulate a massive ice storm in the northwestern area of the province, similar
in scope to the one that devastated eastern Ontario and Québec in 1998.
    The exercise will take place in Thunder Bay and area between November 17
and 23. More than 1,500 participants from the Ontario and Canadian government,
25 municipalities and three First Nations communities, the province of
Manitoba and non-government organizations, will participate.
    A fleet of specialized equipment and tactical teams will be deployed in
the exercise including:

    -  The Emergency Medical Assistance Team (EMAT)
       (http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=6f96f7a0225280a)
    -  Emergency Management Ontario (EMO)'s Mobile Emergency Operations
       Centre or Mobile 1 (http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=11324177eed56ce)
    -  1,000 members of the Canadian Forces
       (http://www.canadacom.forces.gc.ca/site/org-org-eng.asp), dozens of
       specialized army vehicles, naval craft and a Boeing CC-177, the
       military's newest heavy transport aircraft ....

(....)

FEDERAL PARTICIPATION

    The Canadian Forces, through Canada Command, provides civil and humanitarian assistance to Canadians when requested by civil authorities. For Trillium Response, the Canadian Forces is providing 1,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen to assist provincial authorities in dealing with the exercise disaster.
    The Canadian Forces is also providing military facilities, vehicles, specialized medical and communications equipment and a CC-177 Globemaster transport airplane to assist in this exercise.  Personnel will come from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, and from Reserve garrisons and bases across Ontario.

(....)

    FEDERAL PARTNERS

    The following federal departments and agencies are involved in the
exercise:
    - The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces through its
      Ontario-based Joint Task Force Central
    - Public Safety Canada
    - Canadian Coast Guard
    - Environment Canada.

(....)

LOTS more on link


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## rw4th (10 Nov 2008)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Exercise Trillium Response will involve all levels of government and will
> simulate a massive ice storm



The selection of the scenario sounds very PC to me. Couldn't they come up with something a little more relevant to the current world situation? I know ice storms happen, but would this not be better training if it was focused on say a massive NBCW threat or event?


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## Nfld Sapper (10 Nov 2008)

rw4th said:
			
		

> The selection of the scenario sounds very PC to me. Couldn't they come up with something a little more relevant to the current world situation? I know ice storms happen, but would this not be better training if it was focused on say a massive NBCW threat or event?



I think this would create too much hysteria in the general populace.

My 2 cents worth, your milage will vary.


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## Kat Stevens (10 Nov 2008)

Soooo... snowshovels at the ready (again), troops?


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## chris_log (10 Nov 2008)

rw4th said:
			
		

> The selection of the scenario sounds very PC to me. Couldn't they come up with something a little more relevant to the current world situation? I know ice storms happen, but would this not be better training if it was focused on say a massive NBCW threat or event?



Just to play devil's advocate...when it comes to relevancy, Canada is much more likely to fall victim to a natural disaster like an ice storm as opposed to a CBRN attack. So IMHO we should focus on threats that are relevant to us, and FYI, CBRN event-style exercises are conducted but are usually more low key to avoid public worry (people tend to get uneasy when they see people training for a CBRN style scenario, especially around nuclear power plants, hence why these events are more low key). 

Yes, we are under threat of a potential CBRN attack, but IMHO we really are more at risk of a ice storm, flood etc these days and that's what we should be training for.


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## Old Sweat (10 Nov 2008)

As someone who was without hydro for a week during the ice storm, this is a realistic scenario. 

Anyway, it really matters not what the actual event is. The aim is to exercise the various agencies in working together in a demanding realistic scenario and an ice storm is as good as any. Furthermore northwestern Ontario poses some special challenges. In my last years of service I was involved in planning military support to domestic 'situations' such as an earthquake in BC. Hopefully the level of civil awareness has progressed since then. I would almost bet my boots that more than one agency puts in a less than stellar performance, if for no other reason than having failed to think the problem through. (A common failing was to appreciate that since the civilian phone lines would be down, the agency would plan to use cell phones. Since the cell towers and the power sources would also be down, this was a non-strater.) Hopefully there have been a number of preliminary training events that have educated these agencies and I will be proven wrong.


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## The Bread Guy (10 Nov 2008)

Old Sweat - well said.  Even if all is in working condition, not every foot of the Trans-Canada is covered by cell service here.  A recent (within the past couple of weeks) storm that left hospitals and emergency services east of Thunder Bay without landline phone service for a couple of days pointed that out pretty starkly.

As someone living in NW Ontario, I'll be happy if the only thing central agencies learn is that the scales on opposite sides of the Government of Ontario road map are different - in other words, 2-3 inches distance on the southern Ontario side can be 2-3 times more miles on the other side of the map.

Yes, I've had calls in Thunder Bay asking:
1)  Are you sending anyone to Fort Frances for a work assignment because you should be able to drive their in an hour or so? (reality - more like 5 hours one way)
2)  Can you drop off some paperwork in Sioux Lookout - I'm told you can do it on your way home from work? (another 5 hour drive one way)


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## Old Sweat (10 Nov 2008)

Tony,

One could make a good case that the first three factors in any Canadian domestic estimate would be climate, geography and population density. A major ice storm takes the northwest part of the province back to the days of the fur trade. In fact I would find it hard to come up with a more difficult and potentially life threatening scenario than a humungous ice storm in your neck of the woods at this time of the year.


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## The Bread Guy (10 Nov 2008)

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> One could make a good case that the first three factors in any Canadian domestic estimate would be climate, geography and population density.



After the big ice storms a few years back, I'm hoping those will be.  If they'd listen to you, you should be a consultant, OS   ;D


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## Bruce Monkhouse (10 Nov 2008)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> As someone living in NW Ontario, I'll be happy if the only thing central agencies learn is that the scales on opposite sides of the Government of Ontario road map are different - in other words, 2-3 inches distance on the southern Ontario side can be 2-3 times more miles on the other side of the map.
> 
> Yes, I've had calls in Thunder Bay asking:
> 1)  Are you sending anyone to Fort Frances for a work assignment because you should be able to drive their in an hour or so? (reality - more like 5 hours one way)
> 2)  Can you drop off some paperwork in Sioux Lookout - I'm told you can do it on your way home from work? (another 5 hour drive one way)



I plead guilty Tony. I handed back my itinerary to the girl at the counter in Ottawa as I was landing into Kenora before I was taking off from Thunder Bay[ on my way back to Sioux Lookout] saying "There must be a mistake here"...............Being a good old Southern Ontario boy I just figured the time zone [like the world ] ended at Ontario's borders.
 :-[


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## The Bread Guy (10 Nov 2008)

Bruce Monkhouse said:
			
		

> I plead guilty Tony. I handed back my itinerary to the girl at the counter in Ottawa as I was landing into Kenora before I was taking off from Thunder Bay[ on my way back to Sioux Lookout] saying "There must be a mistake here"...............Being a good old Southern Ontario boy I just figured the time zone [like the world ] ended at Ontario's borders.
> :-[



Hey, you're STILL doing better than the politicians surveyed who guessed you could drive across Ontario (Cornwall to ON-MB border) in between 5 and 8 hours....  Gotta find a link to that one.


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## Old Sweat (10 Nov 2008)

Tony,

A good gotcha line is that Toronto is closer to Halifax than it is to Kenora.


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## McG (10 Nov 2008)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Ex Trillium Response


I seem to recall that the TRILLIUM series exercises were LFCA exercises.  Is this exercise an Ontario government initiative with military participation, or is it a military exercise that includes provincial agencies (with their funding) in the PTA?


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## dapaterson (10 Nov 2008)

JTFC exercise with partners paying their own way.

And add-ons for orphan units / bases who might otherwise feel left out.


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## Loachman (10 Nov 2008)

Just getting the various players to be able to talk to each other - thinking and doing it, and having the compatible technology, is a major challenge - and this is independent of any scenario.


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## gun runner (10 Nov 2008)

"As someone living in NW Ontario, I'll be happy if the only thing central agencies learn is that the scales on opposite sides of the Government of Ontario road map are different - in other words, 2-3 inches distance on the southern Ontario side can be 2-3 times more miles on the other side of the map.

Yes, I've had calls in Thunder Bay asking:
1)  Are you sending anyone to Fort Frances for a work assignment because you should be able to drive their in an hour or so? (reality - more like 5 hours one way)
2)  Can you drop off some paperwork in Sioux Lookout - I'm told you can do it on your way home from work? (another 5 hour drive one way)"

 Wow, and I thought I was the only one from NW Ont., I have people asking all the time how far from Toronto are you? Like the earth ended at North Bay!! Cheers from Kenora. Ubique


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## ArmyGuy99 (11 Nov 2008)

For guys who live way up yonder, do I need to get my snowshoes and igloo making gear issued out??  What about my parka and balaclava?? ???



Just joking,  ;D  I'm originally from Sudbury so I know the weather.  And I agree after reading up on the exercise the AO is going to be huge.  I don't think the Ops guys from HQ and the Gov't realized the actual distances and terrain.  Should be interesting to say the least.  

I wonder how many won't pack the necessary cold weather gear (and end up with Hypothermia), or how many will actually show up with the heavy winter clothing (and end up de-hydrated) either way I can use the IV practice.


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## Fusaki (12 Nov 2008)

Anyone from Thunder Bay on the forums?

I just looked on the extended weather forecast for Thunder Bay. Looks like snow.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/CAON0688
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/fourteenday/caon0688

Whats the low down on this place? 

Good places to eat? Landmarks? Gentlemen's Clubs? Whats the industry and economy like? Whats the closest reserve unit? is the OPP around or is it mostly just municipal cops? If you were going to show me around Thunder Bay, what would I see?

I know this will probably all come down in orders, but I'm curious to hear it from the locals.


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## old medic (12 Nov 2008)

Wonderbread said:
			
		

> Whats the closest reserve unit? is the OPP around or is it mostly just municipal cops?



Oddly, the exercise doesn't seem to include any of the local army reserve, including the one unit that 
is part of the JTFC, who I talked to earlier today.

Thunder Bay Units

HMCS Griffon Naval Reserve
Lake Superior Scottish Regiment - Infantry - 38 CBG 
18 Field Ambulance  - CFHS - 1 H Svcs Group
18 Service Battalion - 38 CBG
736 Communication Squadron
Various small detachments of CFB Winnipeg 

OPP
Northwest Detachment
http://www.opp.ca/Organization/RegionsandDetachments/opp_001336.html
in addition to the OPP Detachment on Arthur St., the OPP Regional HQ (James St.)  and Regional Dispatch center (Algoma St.) are there as well. 

Thunder Bay Police
http://www.thunderbay.ca/index.cfm?fuse=html&pg=2304


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## The Bread Guy (12 Nov 2008)

Methinks there might be part of the scenario where there's too much for just the locals to do, so they'll be shipping some help in.  Although it IS odd not to mention ANY T.Bay military units - or do they presume our citizen soldiers already know how to shovel snow and break ice?  ;D



			
				Wonderbread said:
			
		

> Good places to eat?


Some VERY good eating to be done, even near the Armouries - check here for a start:
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/80512/post-768042.html#msg768042



			
				Wonderbread said:
			
		

> Landmarks?  Whats the industry and economy like?


http://www.visitthunderbay.com/index.asp?page=about



			
				Wonderbread said:
			
		

> Gentlemen's Clubs?


One left, I think - Centrefolds, on Memorial.



			
				Wonderbread said:
			
		

> If you were going to show me around Thunder Bay, what would I see?


Major roadways traversed by (now far less busy) railway tracks  ;D

Besides, how much eating out and gentlemen's clubbing are you planning to do if there's a disaster so bad here, they have to call in outside help?


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## Fusaki (12 Nov 2008)

> Besides, how much eating out and gentlemen's clubbing are you planning to do if there's a disaster so bad here, they have to call in outside help?



I guess that all depends on how much _notional_ snow there is to shovel. I just want to do my part to support the local economy. ;D


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## The Bread Guy (12 Nov 2008)

Wonderbread said:
			
		

> I guess that all depends on how much _notional_ snow there is to shovel. I just want to do my part to support the local economy. ;D



One fiver in the g-string at a time, right?  ;D

Seriously, online sources have TONS of good stuff, but feel free to PM if you need something that doesn't make sense online straightened out.


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## ex-Sup (12 Nov 2008)

Wonderbread said:
			
		

> Anyone from Thunder Bay on the forums?


Yup


			
				Wonderbread said:
			
		

> Whats the low down on this place?


A little good, a little bad. Depends who's asking; also depends on which way the wind is blowing (sorry, grew up in Westfort beside the mill).


			
				Wonderbread said:
			
		

> I know this will probably all come down in orders, but I'm curious to hear it from the locals.


I think Tony covered it all, but I can give you a high school tour if you're interested   ;D


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## armyca08 (13 Nov 2008)

How are they going to simulate the snow?


Don't get me wrong it just seems like a fairly easy exercise to call up McGuinty and say it didn't snow and go home.


Something to do I suppose?

What is the pricetag?


---

Maybe Mike Haris can be the person who is dubbed as controlling the weather machine from hell, and the exercise could take on a whole new perspective, once it is discovered that it has malfunctioned, and he is powerless to do damage, well until he can get it working.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (13 Nov 2008)

Has it occurred to  you that we simulate lots of things?

I know it wasn't always that way but the attrition rate was unbelievable when we 'exercised' with the real bullets.


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## armyca08 (13 Nov 2008)

Right, ice cream trucks do have a purpose after summer afterall.


OK, your turn to sit in the back.


So why is the back of the ice rink marked 34 times on the operational schedule?



I geuss a few cloud bursts after seeding as sub zero temps would create snow, I would just be suprised and maybe even wondering how the people in Thunder Bay take to artificial snow fall. Who knows just my 2cents.


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## Nfld Sapper (13 Nov 2008)

army08 said:
			
		

> Right, ice cream trucks do have a purpose after summer afterall.
> 
> 
> OK, your turn to sit in the back.
> ...



I think you need a refund on what ever the hell you are smoking.


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## old medic (19 Nov 2008)

http://www.tbsource.com/Localnews/index.asp?cid=113453

Winter weather treacherous on highway
Tb News Source
Web Posted: 11/19/2008 3:40:23 PM
  	


> The first snowfall of the season caused several accidents Wednesday on Highway 17.
> 
> At about 7:30 a.m. near Schreiber, two military vehicles from CFB Pettawa skidded off the road. One rolled over onto its roof, resulting in two soldiers being hospitalized in Terrace Bay for non-life threatening injuries. The accident forced OPP to reduce the highway to one lane until 3 p.m.
> 
> ...


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## ex-Sup (19 Nov 2008)

old medic said:
			
		

> Winter weather treacherous on highway
> Tb News Source


Nevermind, I almost missed my driveway on the way home...in 4x4.


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## PMedMoe (19 Nov 2008)

> CFB Pettawa



Where the h-e-l-l is that?


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## gun runner (19 Nov 2008)

You know where it is.... just north and west of Otta__! Ubique


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## PMedMoe (19 Nov 2008)

gun runner said:
			
		

> You know where it is.... just north and west of Otta__!



To keep in theme, wouldn't that be Ottwa?


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## gun runner (19 Nov 2008)

Ok, so you know where it is then?!?   Ubique


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## ex-Sup (20 Nov 2008)

Latest Update...apparently we have no power (as I type this from work  )

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/stories_local.php?id=148538


> Emergency exercise heats up
> By THE CHRONICLE-JOURNAL
> Thursday, November 20, 2008
> Meanwhile, the Canadian Forces‘ largest transport airplane, the CC-177 Globemaster, is to arrive in Thunder Bay today at noon to deliver troops and cargo for the exercise.
> It would be a sorely-needed delivery. As of Wednesday, in the simulated ice storm universe, extreme freezing temperatures are causing damage across Northwestern Ontario, leaving all of Thunder Bay without power due to heavy ice on the lines.


The online article fails to mention that the two vehicles involved in yesterday's crash are so badly banged up, they need to be sent back to Petawawa.
I have to keep my eyes open for the CC-177...that would be quite the sight at our humble little aerodrome. I'm sure they'll have some pics on the local media; I'll post something tomorrow, if Tony doesn't beat me to it.
**editted for some early morning typos.


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## The Bread Guy (20 Nov 2008)

ex-Sup said:
			
		

> The online article fails to mention that the two vehicles involved in yesterday's crash are so badly banged up, they need to be sent back to Petawawa.



Mentioned in another story dealing with "accidents on the first major snowfall" theme....


> .... Four soldiers whose military cargo trucks ended up in a Trans-Canada Highway ditch during the region‘s first big snow storm are OK and will participate in emergency training exercises today in Thunder Bay.  But their vehicles aren‘t doing so hot and will be transported back to CFB Petawawa near Ottawa, said the battalion‘s commanding officer.  “The damage is more than what we are able to repair here in Thunder Bay,” Lt.-Col. Kelby Hamilton said Wednesday from a temporary military base at Thunder Bay‘s CLE fair grounds.  Mobile 1, Ontario‘s Mobile Emergency Operations Communication Centre, was also delayed by Wednesday‘s storm.  The two eastbound cargo trucks were travelling to the exercise around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday when they lost control on Highway 17 just west of the main entrance to Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, about 180 kilometres east of Thunder Bay.  One truck ended up on its roof, while the other went off the road backwards, police said.  Two of the soldiers were treated and released from Terrace Bay‘s McCausland Hospital.  The storm, which originated in northern Alberta, caused slippery roads between Nipigon and Sault Ste. Marie starting just after midnight Wednesday ....


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## ex-Sup (20 Nov 2008)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Mentioned in another story dealing with "accidents on the first major snowfall" theme....


Thanks Tony...I knew I read it somewhere; I guess I got confused


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## The Bread Guy (20 Nov 2008)

Big plane flies in - image below.  Shared with the usual disclaimer...

*Colossal aircraft lands at Thunder Bay airport*
Tb News Source
Web Posted: 11/20/2008 5:57:34 PM

West Jet and Air Canada Jazz passengers might have had a little wingspan envy Thursday morning, cowering in the shadow of the behemoth Canadian Air Force’s CC-177 Globemaster 3 that lumbered onto the tarmac at Thunder Bay International Airport.

Its four engines generate 40,400 pounds of thrust apiece.

The plane is capable of carrying a payload as high 72,500 kilograms – the equivalent of 12 of the largest male African elephants on the planet – and burns through more than 11,000 litres of jet fuel an hour....

_More on link_


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## PMedMoe (20 Nov 2008)

Wow, looks comfier than a Herc.  And if we ever need to transport 12 of the largest male African elephants on the planet......


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## ex-Sup (21 Nov 2008)

Here's the Thunder Bay Television version of today's headlines:

http://cdn.dayport.com/tbtvimg/htm/tbtvplayer_2004.htm?Art_ID=15331

Enjoy!


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## twistedcables (21 Nov 2008)

Snow-shovel-drill:

Squad ONE: (assume shoveling position)

Squad TWO: (make shoveling motion to imitate clearing of path)

Squad THREE: (dump snow in sideways angular motion - instructor demonstrates).

From the top: SQUAD!  SHO - VEL!

ONE! - two three - ONE! two three, ONE! (snapping sound heard)

Oh crap - MAN DOWN! MAN DOWN - bring the backboard!..lol..


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## The Bread Guy (21 Nov 2008)

Globemaster firing alright, Globemaster STOPS - shared with the usual disclaimer.

*Mechanical problems hamper mock disaster exercise*
The News (Mississauga), 21 Nov 08
Article link

Mississauga's Pearson International Airport was supposed to be the launch point from where emergency personnel and resources would be deployed to a mock ice storm disaster today.

That plan wouldn't fly, though. Literally.

*Originally, a C-17 Globemaster was to arrive at Pearson 11 a.m. as part of Trillium Response – a multi-jurisdictional disaster response effort developed by the Emergency Management Ontario, the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Canadian Forces. The C-17 – the military's newest aircraft which can carry a payload of 160,000 lbs. – was to be employed to transport personnel and resources to a mock emergency in Thunder Bay.

Due to mechanical problems, however, the plane was grounded. Instead, a C-130  was flown in at 2 p.m.

The mission was a response to a desperate plea for help from the Iain Angus the acting mayor of Thunder Bay, who had contacted the Provincial Emergency Operational Centre at about 8 p.m. last night. She was asking for help after a grain elevator had collapsed because of heavy snow and ice. The collapse injured 30 people and trapped another 80.

Still, members of Trillium Response refused to see the malfunctioning aircraft as a setback. Instead, they told the press that patrt of reacting to a disaster is dealing with the unpredictable.
.
"The only thing predictable in an emergency is the unpredictable," said Rick Bartolucci, Ontario's minister of community safety and correctional services. "The team had to strategize and come up with another alternative because the reality is this exercise has to go on because we're responding to an emergency."    

By 8:30 p.m., the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team (HUSAR) had been deployed. The team consists of 70 people from Toronto fire and police servives medical staff and specialists in structural engineering, hazardous materials, heavy rigging, search and logistics.*

They flew out of Pearson to the disaster scene, albeit delayed by three hours until the replacement ride arrived.

"We will, at the end of the day, have learned from this exercise so that in the event of a real emergency here in the province of Ontario we will be equipped with not only the human not only the physical resources that are necessary but also having had the experience of reacting to a very serious situation," said Bartolucci.

The Thunder Bay mock disaster was one of several taking place simultaneously in other areas across northwestern Ontario, including in Kenora and Dryden.

The entire operation involved over 40 government and non-government organizations including 11 ministries of Ontario, four federal government departments and nine First Nations communities.

"This is going to be the largest exercise, peace-time joint exercise that has taken place in the province of Ontario," said Brigadier General Gary Stafford.


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## The Bread Guy (22 Nov 2008)

Latest fact sheet also attached below (.pdf)...

*Canadian Forces Plane to Airlift Supplies*
Mock Emergency Exercise In Full Swing In Thunder Bay
Government of Ontario news release, 21 Nov 08
News release link

    Rescue equipment, supplies, personnel, and search and rescue dogs will be airlifted via a Canadian Forces transport airplane from Toronto to Thunder Bay as part of the largest emergency response exercise held in recent Canadian history. Exercise Trillium Response, which began on November 17th, is a
multi-jurisdictional disaster response exercise that simulates the consequences of a massive ice storm in northwestern Ontario.

    Emergency Management Ontario and the Canadian Forces are jointly leading the exercise. It involves more than 1,500 participants from 40 different organizations (http://webx.newswire.ca/click?id=fe7ee6c5f024507) including provincial ministries, federal departments, municipalities, First Nations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

    Today's air movement from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Thunder Bay International Airport is testing the rapid response capability of the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) team following the staged collapse of local buildings with more than 100 people fictionally trapped inside.

    QUOTES

    "If disaster strikes, the Government of Ontario needs to know that we are ready to tackle the unexpected and most difficult of challenges to ensure Ontarians are kept safe," said Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Rick Bartolucci
(http://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about_min/bio.html).

    QUICK FACTS

    The Toronto HUSAR is a multi-skilled task force made up of fire, police, emergency medical staff, physicians and other specialists who respond to large-scale emergencies that require unique search-and-rescue techniques and resources including highly trained dogs.

    LEARN MORE

    Read about exercise Trillium Response and emergency management
(http://www.emergencymanagementontario.ca/english/home.html) in Ontario.

    Read the timeline
    (http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=80a8875b792430a) of the mock emergency.


Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the _Copyright Act._

*Ice storm offers major mock disaster challenges*
ALANA TOULIN, The Chronicle-Journal, 22 Nov 08
Article link

The mock ice storm that hit Thunder Bay this week as part of the province‘s emergency preparedness exercise continues to wreak some major – albeit staged – havoc on the region.

Some of the latest developments in Operation Trillium Response include a collapsed building rescue scenario staged on Thursday evening, and a field hospital set up to assist the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, which would more than likely be at full capacity during a real disaster.

Police spokesman Chris Adams said the fake building collapse scenario happened in a grain elevator by the waterfront where 110 people were working.

While Thunder Bay Police and Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue responded first along with Superior North EMS, they had to make a request for help from Ontario‘s Heavy Urban Search and Rescue unit (HUSAR) to search for victims trapped underneath layers of ice and rubble.

“It‘s very important to point out in a crisis like this, safety has to come first for victims and for the emergency responders,” he said at the sort of media briefing that would be staged if indeed these events were real.

He said about 80 people had been rescued and treated, and a HUSAR team was on the way from Toronto (via Canadian Forces airlift in the CC-177 Globemaster III) to help out the rest.

“We believe we have approximately 30 people still trapped. If you can imagine what we‘re dealing with at the scene – there‘s a lot of heavy concrete and steel – it‘s a real mess. It has to be taken apart piece by piece, essentially,” Adams said.

And if there was a real weather related disaster hitting the area as hard as the staged one has, hospital beds would be in short supply.

Enter the province‘s Emergency Medical Assistance Team (EMAT). Its 20-bed portable hospital arrived Thursday night and became operational Friday. Acting mayor Iain Angus said this would take some of the pressure off the TBRHSC, adding that shelters too are a challenge during a disaster.

“One of our key focuses has been on the evacuation of 20,000 people to central shelter facilities,” he said. “As you know, the entire city is without power, which means the vast majority of homes have no way to heat their facilities.”

He called the exercise “a real learning experience” that has helped the city not only to test its emergency plans, but also to refine them. City officials plan to hold a formal debriefing in the coming weeks to document their findings.

However, Angus said any changes made in procedure will likely involve just some “fine tuning” rather than complete overhauls.

“(Operation Trillium Response) has given me a much better understanding of how prepared we are as a municipality to respond to the weather,” he said.

Emergency Management Ontario deputy chief Mike Morton is also pleased with way the exercise has unfolded, stating that the province and all of its partners has made “considerable progress” in its ability to respond to crises since the 1998 ice storm.

“We have been able to overcome (real-life) challenges like weather and show that all levels of government can work in any area of the province and provide high levels of service to the citizens.”
Operation Trillium Response continues today.


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## The Bread Guy (22 Nov 2008)

Just FYI, I just had a couple of young, polite 3 RCR troops stop by my place to see if we were OK - I offered them some food and, sadly, they couldn't stop or take something with them.  There was what looks like a platoon walking the streets in the neighbourhood in pairs, checking on each house.

The system seems to be working @ my end - well done, folks!


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## ex-Sup (22 Nov 2008)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> There was what looks like a platoon walking the streets in the neighbourhood in pairs, checking on each house.


Yup, I just saw what amounted to a section crossing James St near Westgate High School obviously doing the same thing. My wife and I were just down at the CLE doing a little local shopping and that place seems to quite the hub of activity (this is the command centre of the operation). Quite a number of military vehicles buzzing around (much to the delight of my 3yo). One was proudly flying the RCR colours. Great job to all


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## The Bread Guy (23 Nov 2008)

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the _Copyright Act._

*Highway pileup victims aided in mock disaster*
ALANA TOULIN, The Chronicle-Journal, 23 Nov 08
Article link

With a snowy Shuniah sandpit standing in for Highway 11, emergency crews worked feverishly Saturday morning to save about 30 crash victims after a messy pileup involving a school bus and several cars.

But despite the realism shown – the blood-streaked injured who writhed in pain come to mind – it was all just par for the course on the last day of Trillium Response, the large-scale exercise devised to test the province‘s ability to deal with an emergency.

Fortunately the tragedy that left two dead and another 15 critically injured was just a simulation, but when a disaster like the “ice storm” that hit Thunder Bay this week strikes, the real-life consequences can be just as dire.

In the middle of the chaos, Superior North EMS manager of quality assurance and training Wayne Gates said the priority was to assess the most critical patients and get them to hospital first. Twelve of their paramedics were on scene along with personnel from the Shuniah Fire Department and St. John Ambulance.

“As you can see, (the collision) was very high impact,” he said. “Lots of people were trapped and required extrication from the fire department.”

For Gates, it was important to participate in an exercise like this one so staff is better prepared for large-scale crises that can be “challenging and overwhelming.”

“Unfortunately, in the real world these types of incidents do happen,” he said. “It‘s good training for our paramedics to go through these events.”

Once the victims (actually Confederation College paramedic students and members of the military) had been assessed at the crash scene, they were transported to the Emergency Medical Assistance Team (EMAT)‘s 56-bed portable hospital set up beside Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

In the case of a real emergency, the portable hospital would help take some of the pressure off the TBRHSC, which would undoubtedly find itself with a shortage of beds. With 75 staff on site Saturday and a mobile intensive care unit, the facility was able to provide a very high level of care to patients during the mock disaster, said EMAT medical director Bruce Sawadsky, adding that in 24 hours they saw about 150 patients.

Best of all, once the portable hospital arrives in a community, it takes just about four to six hours to set up.

To Lt.-Cmdr. Lorne Carruth, taking part in Trillium Response was an ideal way for the Canadian Forces to hone their training procedures.

“(The exercise) lets me capture all the lessons learned from the sailors, and take that back to my HQ and improve it,” he said earlier in the day along the lakefront where military personnel conducted port security exercises and water rescues.

“The continuous improvement cycle is exactly what these things are all about.”

As part of their scenario, different military units had to work together to rescue divers from the frigid waters of Lake Superior.

“These are very dangerous situations for the divers. They‘re at the margins of their capability limit with the temperature of the water,” said Carruth.

Naturally, an endeavour like this one came with its own set of obstacles, from weather, to pacing, to co-ordination of the team.

Carruth said there were about 50 Naval Reserve members comprising the port security aspect and another 17 divers.

“The 67 have come together into one command organization. From a training standpoint, the challenge is that a lot of these sailors are meeting each other for the first time,” he said.

“Within one night, we have to try to make them a team on the water. That‘s what it‘s all about, and that‘s why we standardize the training.”


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## DirtyDog (24 Nov 2008)

The landing in T-Bay was a blast.


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## DirtyDog (24 Nov 2008)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Just FYI, I just had a couple of young, polite 3 RCR troops stop by my place to see if we were OK - I offered them some food and, sadly, they couldn't stop or take something with them.  There was what looks like a platoon walking the streets in the neighbourhood in pairs, checking on each house.
> 
> The system seems to be working @ my end - well done, folks!


They would've been 1 RCR.  And I would've said one of them might have been me, but you said "young".


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## The Bread Guy (24 Nov 2008)

DirtyDog said:
			
		

> They would've been 1 RCR.  And I would've said one of them might have been me, but you said "young".



Gotta get those $10 glasses from the drugstore checked, then - thanks.

And here's the wrap-up (photo below) with the usual disclaimer...

*Organizers confident after emergency exercises*
By PETER BURKOWSKI, Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal, 24 Nov 08
Article link

Ontario is prepared for the worst, say Canadian Forces officials.

Large-scale disaster simulation exercise Operation Trillium Response wrapped up on Sunday, after a week of co-ordinated response by more than 1,500 Ontario emergency services workers to a mock ice storm ravaging the region.

Medical, military, fire, police and other emergency services personnel all came together to deal with the proposed disaster in as realistic a fashion as possible.
In spite of minor setbacks like real weather conditions slowing some vehicle movements and hampering the construction of temporary buildings, 2nd Lt. Andrew Wilson said that every group participating in the operation did its job well – and will be able to do so if and when a real disaster strikes.

“It was extremely successful,” said Wilson.

Wilson was one of the troops that came to the area from Petawawa for the exercise.

He said that the City of Thunder Bay‘s assistance and resources were instrumental to the operation‘s success.

“We couldn‘t have done this without the city‘s help,” said Wilson.

Participants in the exercise also came from 25 Northwestern Ontario municipalities from throughout the region, three First Nations communities, and Manitoba.
Operation Trillium Response was developed by Emergency Management Ontario and the Canadian Forces. 

Photo credit:  Brent Linton, Chronicle-Journal
Members of the Canadian Forces pack up at the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition grounds Sunday after the weeklong Operation Trillium Response.


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## Xcalibar (25 Nov 2008)

WOW!  The Globemasters have actual seats and not orange cargo nets?  It's probably as noisy in there as it is in the Hercs, but at least it LOOKS a bit more comfortable.


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## Michael OLeary (25 Nov 2008)

DirtyDog said:
			
		

> They would've been 1 RCR.  And I would've said one of them might have been me, but you said "young".



On the 22nd, it could have been soldiers from 4RCR.


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## Baloo (25 Nov 2008)

22nd was...Saturday? My platoon relieved the 1RCR from conducting the "Wellness Inspections" in Area Bravo, so depending on where you lived, it might have been Reservists. 

A lot of down time, to say the least.


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## Old Sweat (25 Nov 2008)

As one who was in the real thing, if it had been a major ice storm, there wouldn't have been much down time. It is not too much to say that in the 1998 storm here in Eastern Ontario, the rapid and efficient response by the CF saved lives. They certainly provided a huge boost to the morale of us suddenly thrust back into the 19th century.


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## Baloo (25 Nov 2008)

I'm not debating the problems associated with "the real thing." 

Simply referring to the exercise as a whole. 

The Ex was a success, as acknowledged by most, but the fact remains that it was a "wider picture" effort, not designed to provide substantial training opportunities or benefit to the soldiers. My views, anyways.


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## Old Sweat (25 Nov 2008)

Big picture exercises are like that.


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## The Bread Guy (25 Nov 2008)

Baloo said:
			
		

> 22nd was...Saturday? My platoon relieved the 1RCR from conducting the "Wellness Inspections" in Area Bravo, so depending on where you lived, it might have been Reservists.



They weren't reservists - when I asked after a 4 RCR person, they said, "no, that's the Reserve unit."  To which I replied, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, right?"  They laughed...


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## Infanteer (26 Nov 2008)

Xcalibar said:
			
		

> WOW!  The Globemasters have actual seats and not orange cargo nets?  It's probably as noisy in there as it is in the Hercs, but at least it LOOKS a bit more comfortable.



They got seats for that short hop?  We had the little jump seats for a TransPac, but it was actually pretty good because you get up, walk around, and lay down.


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## DirtyDog (26 Nov 2008)

Xcalibar said:
			
		

> WOW!  The Globemasters have actual seats and not orange cargo nets?  It's probably as noisy in there as it is in the Hercs, but at least it LOOKS a bit more comfortable.


The seats in the middle are on some type of modular system.  The seats along the sides fold down.  Both are quite comfortable and the noise level is tolerable (although I wish I had ear defenders as I couldn't make out all the words of the movie I was watching through my earbuds).

Comfortable ride too.  Very smooth... except for the short landing in T-Bay.  Felt like we dropped out of the sky and slammed into the tarmac, stopping instantly.

I was joking they would have steak and lobster in the air force box lunches they passed out to us on the way back.  I wasn't far from the truth!  Beat the hell out of the ones here in Pet anyway.


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## DirtyDog (26 Nov 2008)

Found a video of the takeoff from TB.  No landing vid though.

*There is swearing at the end of the video*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiAIThTYDz8


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## ArmyGuy99 (29 Nov 2008)

We were in the terminal waiting to board our flight to Pearson when that beast took off.  We were like "I think I can, I think I can...."  Wishing it to fly cause it looked like it was going so slow, then WHAM!!   up she went.  Awesome to see, must of been crazy for the boys inside.


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