CF to be Involved in Ontario's Ex Trillium Response

[The Bread Guy]

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

 

[rw4th]

    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?

 

[Nfld Sapper]

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.

 

[Kat Stevens]

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

 

[chris_log]

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.

 

[Old Sweat]

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.

 

[The Bread Guy]

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)

 

[Old Sweat]

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.

 

[The Bread Guy]

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

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

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.
:-[

 

[The Bread Guy]

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.

 

[Old Sweat]

Tony,

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

 

[McG]

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?

 

[dapaterson]

JTFC exercise with partners paying their own way.

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

 

[Loachman]

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.

 

[gun runner]

"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

 

[ArmyGuy99]

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.

 

[Fusaki]

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.

 

[old medic]

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

 

[The Bread Guy]

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

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

Landmarks?  Whats the industry and economy like?

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

Gentlemen's Clubs?

One left, I think - Centrefolds, on Memorial.

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?