COQUITLAM, November 23, 2008 - Emergency responders and government departments responsible for emergency management today took part in a joint transit emergency preparedness exercise, known as TRANSGUARD I, in Coquitlam, B.C. The Government of Canada coordinated the exercise, which involved participants from the Province of British Columbia; the municipalities of Coquitlam and Vancouver; TransLink, the local transit operator; and other partners.
"Exercises are important tools for strengthening our ability to efficiently deal with all kinds of potential incidents," said the Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety Canada. "This exercise is an example of our government's on-going commitment to working with partners in all jurisdictions to ensure the security and safety of Canadians."
Exercise TRANSGUARD I consisted of a full-scale simulation of an explosion at the Coquitlam West Coast Express Station transit system, with mock victims played by hundreds of volunteers from St. John Ambulance, Vancouver Film School and others. There were approximately 500 participants including first responders from police, fire and ambulance services.
Public Safety Canada coordinated TRANSGUARD I as the first of a series of exercises to be held across Canada to enhance transit security, known as the Urban Transit Exercise Program. Lessons learned from the exercise will be shared with federal, provincial and local jurisdictions including emergency managers and planners, as well as transit owners/operators across Canada to help them improve the safety of their systems.
Information:
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
Province of British Columbia
Media Relations
David Karn
250-387-9116
City of Coquitlam
Therese Mickelson
604-318-2551
TransLink Communications
Ken Hardie
604-453-4606
Canadian Pacific
Mike LoVecchio
778-772-9636
RCMP LMD
Strategic Communications Unit
Cpl. Peter Thiessen
604-614-6177
St. John Ambulance
Dave Frank
604-644-6426
