It is only a matter of time before we have another major terrorism attack in Canada (e.g. Air India attack originated in BC).
Here are links to some of the articles on these arrests today:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/08/25/15137356.html
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/08/25/ottawa-rcmp-arrests.html
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/852264--two-arrested-in-ottawa-in-alleged-terror-plot?bn=1
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
June Earthquake Caused Gov't Website to Crumble
The Toronto Star has an interesting article about the June 23 earthquake. Although the earthquake did very little property damage, the public desire for information caused Natural Resources Canada's website to crash.
People today frequently turn to the internet more than the main stream media for immediate information on emergencies, disasters and potential disasters. When this occurred on June 23 the government website crashed.
While the article does not say whether or not the website had any useful or updated information on it, it is an indicator to all levels of government that people will be turning to their websites for information in a crisis. Are the websites robust enough to handle the increased traffic, are they updated quickly and is the information useful?
Check out the article at:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/851058--june-earthquake-did-more-damage-online-than-on-the-ground
People today frequently turn to the internet more than the main stream media for immediate information on emergencies, disasters and potential disasters. When this occurred on June 23 the government website crashed.
While the article does not say whether or not the website had any useful or updated information on it, it is an indicator to all levels of government that people will be turning to their websites for information in a crisis. Are the websites robust enough to handle the increased traffic, are they updated quickly and is the information useful?
Check out the article at:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/851058--june-earthquake-did-more-damage-online-than-on-the-ground
Helping Our Helpers Stay Healthy
The Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists www.atss.info is hosting a conference in Toronto, September 30 to October 2 - "Safely in Our Hands: Helping Our Helpers Stay Healthy". The line up of speakers and topics looks very interesting.
Traumatic stress is real and affects many on the front lines: paramedics, police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, dispatchers and those in the military. These are the women and men who see, hear, and deal with events the average person cannot even imagine. And sometimes it is hard to get out of the back of your mind.
While personally I've been at major traumas of adults including decapitations, transections, drownings, stabbings, shootings, 95% burns, (and on the list could go) which have never bothered me, it was the calls involving children that bothered me. My first child death, the young girl who burned in her closet while the neighbours and firefighters tried to break down her bedroom door which her mother had locked that haunted me. We tried in vain to resuscitate the 4 year old who was covered totally in burns... I still remember, as if it was today, her skin sticking to my hands and arms as I worked on her and having to peel it off after. While it no longer wakes me in the night, it does bring tears 27 years later when I think about it. There were other calls as well, but this was the first for a young 21 year old paramedic. Yes, traumatic stress is very real. And while most of us hid it very well to the outside world (but burdened our families with the effects) and carried on with our chosen careers, it did get the better of some. Alcohol, drugs, depression, anger, and even suicide has been caused to some degree by the stresses on the job.
My complements to this organization. If it were not for previous commitments I would be attending this seminar.
For more information on the seminar go to www.atss.info.
Traumatic stress is real and affects many on the front lines: paramedics, police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, dispatchers and those in the military. These are the women and men who see, hear, and deal with events the average person cannot even imagine. And sometimes it is hard to get out of the back of your mind.
While personally I've been at major traumas of adults including decapitations, transections, drownings, stabbings, shootings, 95% burns, (and on the list could go) which have never bothered me, it was the calls involving children that bothered me. My first child death, the young girl who burned in her closet while the neighbours and firefighters tried to break down her bedroom door which her mother had locked that haunted me. We tried in vain to resuscitate the 4 year old who was covered totally in burns... I still remember, as if it was today, her skin sticking to my hands and arms as I worked on her and having to peel it off after. While it no longer wakes me in the night, it does bring tears 27 years later when I think about it. There were other calls as well, but this was the first for a young 21 year old paramedic. Yes, traumatic stress is very real. And while most of us hid it very well to the outside world (but burdened our families with the effects) and carried on with our chosen careers, it did get the better of some. Alcohol, drugs, depression, anger, and even suicide has been caused to some degree by the stresses on the job.
My complements to this organization. If it were not for previous commitments I would be attending this seminar.
For more information on the seminar go to www.atss.info.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday the 13th
For some, Friday the 13th is a movie series. For others it is a ritual.
Today is the 50th Ride of the Friday the 13th motorcycle ride into Port Dover, a little town of 5,500 on the north shore of Lake Erie.
Each Friday the 13th for the past 29 years, bikers have been riding into town, sun, rain, sleet or snow. The event started with 25 bikers. In recent years more than 50,000 bikes and over 100,000 people (many non-bikers come to walk the streets and share in the event) have converged on the town to spend the day. Being the 50th Ride and with great weather, it is anticipated that as many as 100,000 bikes and more than 200,000 people may be attending today.
While the event is generally peaceful, from time to time there are motor vehicle collisions involving bikes. But emergency planners should plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Has a proper HIRA been done?
Some potential risks: food poisoning or other mass illness, multiple casualty motor vehicle accident, significant act of violence (e.g. shooting), weather related events (thunder storms, tornado), fire in a local establishment, water system failure, etc.
Are the emergency services and allied agencies using IMS and a unified command?
And the planning questions could go on and on.
I just wish I had time to ride my bike to Port Dover to be there.
Today is the 50th Ride of the Friday the 13th motorcycle ride into Port Dover, a little town of 5,500 on the north shore of Lake Erie.
Each Friday the 13th for the past 29 years, bikers have been riding into town, sun, rain, sleet or snow. The event started with 25 bikers. In recent years more than 50,000 bikes and over 100,000 people (many non-bikers come to walk the streets and share in the event) have converged on the town to spend the day. Being the 50th Ride and with great weather, it is anticipated that as many as 100,000 bikes and more than 200,000 people may be attending today.
While the event is generally peaceful, from time to time there are motor vehicle collisions involving bikes. But emergency planners should plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Has a proper HIRA been done?
Some potential risks: food poisoning or other mass illness, multiple casualty motor vehicle accident, significant act of violence (e.g. shooting), weather related events (thunder storms, tornado), fire in a local establishment, water system failure, etc.
Are the emergency services and allied agencies using IMS and a unified command?
And the planning questions could go on and on.
I just wish I had time to ride my bike to Port Dover to be there.
Oil / Gas Drilling Disasters Nothing New
The following is a commentary by Dr. David Suzuki
"The explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico and subsequent uncontrolled release of millions of litres of oil a day is a monumental disaster. But why are we surprised? Oil drilling and transportation are not like brain surgery; they involve brute technology to obtain and move crude oil, and oil is slopped around in this process every day. Over the years, numerous major spills have occurred on land, from drilling platforms at sea, and after collisions and breakups of ships.
Back in 1967, the Torrey Canyon spilled 117 million litres of crude oil off Cornwall, England. In 1976, the Argo Merchant dumped 29 million litres of fuel oil off Massachusetts. A blow-out at the offshore Ekofisk Bravo platform in 1977 released about 30 million litres into the North Sea in 1977, and the Amoco Cadiz dumped 260 million litres off France in 1978. We've seen oil spilled in dozens of other collisions, blowouts, deliberate releases (in 1991, Iraq released up to 1.9 billion litres of crude oil into the Persian Gulf), and storms (in 2005, hurricane Katrina caused the release of more than 25 million litres). Closer to home, in 1970, the Arrow spilled almost 10 million litres into Chedabucto Bay in Nova Scotia, and in 1988, the Odyssey dumped 159 million litres off St. John's, Newfoundland. And in 1989, the Exxon Valdez spilled over 40 million litres into the pristine waters of Prince William Sound off the Alaska coast."
For the full story: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2010/06/our-oil-addiction-has-always-been-messy/
For other related stories go to: www.davidsuzuki.org
"The explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico and subsequent uncontrolled release of millions of litres of oil a day is a monumental disaster. But why are we surprised? Oil drilling and transportation are not like brain surgery; they involve brute technology to obtain and move crude oil, and oil is slopped around in this process every day. Over the years, numerous major spills have occurred on land, from drilling platforms at sea, and after collisions and breakups of ships.
Back in 1967, the Torrey Canyon spilled 117 million litres of crude oil off Cornwall, England. In 1976, the Argo Merchant dumped 29 million litres of fuel oil off Massachusetts. A blow-out at the offshore Ekofisk Bravo platform in 1977 released about 30 million litres into the North Sea in 1977, and the Amoco Cadiz dumped 260 million litres off France in 1978. We've seen oil spilled in dozens of other collisions, blowouts, deliberate releases (in 1991, Iraq released up to 1.9 billion litres of crude oil into the Persian Gulf), and storms (in 2005, hurricane Katrina caused the release of more than 25 million litres). Closer to home, in 1970, the Arrow spilled almost 10 million litres into Chedabucto Bay in Nova Scotia, and in 1988, the Odyssey dumped 159 million litres off St. John's, Newfoundland. And in 1989, the Exxon Valdez spilled over 40 million litres into the pristine waters of Prince William Sound off the Alaska coast."
For the full story: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2010/06/our-oil-addiction-has-always-been-messy/
For other related stories go to: www.davidsuzuki.org
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