EDMONTON, May 20, 2011 – Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright, on behalf of the Honourable Vic Toews, Canada's Minister of Public Safety, and the Honourable Hector Goudreau, Minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs, today congratulated graduates of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) Intermediate Course at Lakeland College in Vermilion.
The Government of Canada is collaborating with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency and Lakeland College to deliver the intermediate CBRNE course, which has traditionally been offered at the Canadian Emergency Management College in Ottawa. The course is designed for emergency responders, including hazardous material (HazMat) technicians, emergency medical services personnel, forensic identification specialists and bomb technicians.
"The Government of Canada is pleased to partner with the Government of Alberta in the delivery of training which supports the responder and health care communities," said Minister Toews. "Responders' actions save lives. This training is one of the ways that we prepare them to meet the challenges posed by extremely hazardous incidents which could involve chemical, biological or radiological threats."
"Disasters and emergencies by their nature are impossible to predict, but we can prepare and train our first responders to deal with them when they occur," said Minister Goudreau. "By hosting this training in our province for the first time, we're helping prepare our emergency responders for these hazards and enhancing Albertans' public safety."
Public Safety Canada's Canadian Emergency Management College (CEMC) coordinates the development and delivery of CBRNE first responder training in collaboration with other federal organizations such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Defence Research and Development Canada. For more information about the CEMC or the CBRNE First Responder Training Program, please visit Public Safety Canada's website: www.publicsafety.gc.ca.
For general information on how to prepare for emergencies and other safety-related information visit: www.getprepared.gc.ca and follow us on Twitter@Get_Prepared.
Information:
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
Alberta Municipal Affairs
John Muir
780-644-4888
