First responders from fire, police and ambulance services will participate in an exercise to practice their emergency response to a transit incident. TRANSGUARD I is a collaboration of the Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia, and the municipalities of Coquitlam and Vancouver, in association with TransLink and other partners.
TRANSGUARD I is a component of the Urban Transit Exercise Program - a federal government initiative to improve the readiness of Canada's urban transit sector to respond to multi-jurisdictional emergencies through the validation of plans, policies, and response protocols over the next four years.
The exercise will be staged in Coquitlam British Columbia and will involve a range of participants including first responders and mock casualty victims. Media are invited to attend.
- Media registration in advance is mandatory.
- Please register on Friday between 10am and 3pm at Coquitlam City Hall in the Council Committee Room on the ground floor, or at the TransLink kiosk at Vancouver's Waterfront Station.
- On exercise day, Sunday November 23, 2008, media will be bussed from Coquitlam City Hall to the exercise at Coquitlam West Coast Express Station. Media must arrive at City Hall between 7:30 and 7:55am.
- Media will not be allowed to access the site directly, a bus will transport the media from City Hall to the event site (the Coquitlam West Coast Express Station).
- For safety reasons, site access will be restricted and all participants must remain on the event site for the duration of the exercise.
- A brief question and answer period will take place during the exercise.
Mandatory Media registration (prior to event):
Date
Friday, November 21, 2008
Time
10am - 3pm (Pacific Time)
Location
Coquitlam City Hall
3000 Guildford Way
Council Committee Room (ground floor)
Or:
TransLink kiosk
Waterfront Station
Main Floor (next to Starbucks Coffee)
601 West Cordova St.
Vancouver
Exercise Day:
Date
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Time
7:30 am - 10:15am (Pacific Time)
Location
Coquitlam City Hall
3000 Guildford Way
Note: Media will be bussed from Coquitlam City Hall to the exercise location; Coquitlam West Coast Express Station. (media will not be allowed to go directly to the West Coast Express Station)
For further information please contact:
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
