May 7, 2016
Manitoba's Urban Search and Rescue Team to Assist Alberta Wildfire Fight
The Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) advises that in response to a request for assistance from the Alberta government, members of Manitoba’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team, Canada Task Force 4 (CAN TF-4) will be sent to support crews working in the Fort McMurray command centre.
OFC co-ordinates the 100-plus member disaster response team on behalf of Manitoba. Made up of specially trained and dedicated emergency response professionals from volunteer, municipal, provincial and federal services, CAN TF-4 can be mobilized within hours.
This highly skilled team has the capacity to be self-sustaining for up to 10 days in any weather, anywhere in the country. Although the primary focus of the team has been urban search and rescue (building collapse), the team is able to respond to a variety of emergencies and provide incident management support on behalf of the province. There are three similar teams across Canada, located in Vancouver (CAN TF-1), Alberta (CAN TF-2) and Toronto (CAN TF-3).
The Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) requested that Manitoba assist the Alberta Disaster Response Team, which has already been deployed. Manitoba team members will assist with co-ordinating the multi-agency response to the emergency, as well as offer relief to other responders.
Approximately 20 members of the Manitoba team are preparing to leave for Alberta this weekend and are expected to arrive and begin their role by Monday, May 9.
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