With National Emergency Preparedness Week underway, the Province is providing a new infusion of $200,000 in support into Vancouver’s Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) team.

HUSAR provides critical resources and a specially trained taskforce of up to 120 personnel with medical, fire suppression, emergency response, search and rescue, and engineering backgrounds. The team deploys with trained dogs, electronic search equipment and heavy construction equipment to remove debris and help extract people trapped in major structural collapses, such as one might expect from a catastrophic earthquake.

Including today’s funding, the Province has now committed $800,000 since 2011 to help sustain the HUSAR team’s operations. This ongoing support signals the need to keep investing in emergency preparedness measures that will help keep British Columbians safe, particularly in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake in coastal B.C.

The Vancouver HUSAR team, which is one of four in Canada, is the only Canadian team certified to deploy around the globe by the co-ordinator for UN Emergency Response.

Quotes:

Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton -

“The reality of our province’s seismic risk makes the work that the HUSAR team does especially critical. Its ability to deploy and help British Columbians after a major earthquake is an important tool in saving lives and helping B.C. recover after a disaster. While it’s everyone’s responsibility to get involved in emergency preparedness, teams of first responders, like HUSAR, are helping B.C. be better prepared for when the big one hits.”

Vancouver Mayor, Gregor Robertson -

“Vancouver’s Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team is highly skilled and trained to provide the heavy lifting needed to help find and save survivors trapped in the aftermath of a disaster. We hope not to see a catastrophic event here in B.C., but it’s crucial that governments, communities and families all be prepared well in advance of an overdue earthquake on our coast, and Vancouver's HUSAR team is vital to our efforts.”

Quick Facts:

• The Vancouver team is trained to perform searches for survivors, assist with purifying water, applying medical treatment and provide transportation to the critically injured.
• Vancouver’s HUSAR team, one of five in the country, has previously assisted internationally in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (2005), as well as to Calgary floods (2013) and the slide in Johnsons Landing, B.C. (2012).
• Vancouver’s HUSAR Team: http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/urban-search-and-rescue.aspx

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 213-3602