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Police, fire and paramedics team up for training excercise in Queensville

YorkRegion.com
Sept. 29, 2016
By Simon Martin

A little rain Monday afternoon couldn’t keep East Gwillimbury Emergency Services, York Region Paramedic Service and York Regional Police from carrying out a joint training mock scenario at the Queensville Fire Station.

The groups were testing out specialized response tactics for immediate rescue of victims within a potentially dangerous environment.

The Integrated Rescue Team is comprised of police, firefighters and paramedics who assess and mitigate immediate hazards, assess, treat and evacuate victims, quickly, efficiently and safely during an active incident.

"Utilizing and combining existing resources and expertise is the fundamental goal here," Fire Chief Phil Dawson said. "By leveraging our existing partnerships and current resources, we are able to provide immediate results that are not only sustainable, but are predictable as we grow.”

York Region Police spokesperson Andy Pattenden said the police take part in these type of exercises across the region. The YRP have recently done mock scenarios at Canada's Wonderland, Southlake Regional Health Centre and Markham-Stouffville Hospital.

The scenario the first responders faced involved a man who had driven a bus through a crowd and had barricaded himself on the bus. The crews had to secure the man on the bus and rescue the injured citizens.