Disasters can be defined as events that cause serious disruptions in the services that are essential for the normal operation of a community(s) and frequently result in widespread human and environmental losses. Such disruptions exceed the emergency management capabilities of the affected community(s).

Over the last few years the strategic and emergency management community, through a series of studies analyzing the various risks to the global community, exposed a gap in response capability. Along came the events of September 11th. Our newly amalgamated city is on the way to completing its planned response capabilities.

There are numerous railway systems that feed into Toronto, and indeed the province. By utilizing a training site such as this, Toronto's HUSAR team should be well prepared for any eventuality.

Sept 11th notwithstanding, and though the World Trade Centre and Oklahoma City bombings both took place in the U.S., the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) incident and an underground parking collapse both occurred in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The outcomes of these incidents, in addition to the 2002 house collapse in Markham, Ontario, and 200 collapse in Sarnia, Ontario have demonstrated a need, and a real urgency for the updating of our strategies. Had the TTC incident led to a structural collapse of the tunnel, it very well could have overwhelmed the combined response agencies in their mitigation. Had there been victims involved in the parking garage collapse, the available resources would have been unable to provide the required response. Emergency services would have been unable to conduct the type of rescue operations expected.

It is important as our city grows that the role of the Emergency Services expands at the same rate in order to offer the level of skilled service it has in the past. This project will help close the gap. In a short period of time, and in concert with the city as a whole, the leadership of Toronto's Emergency Management Teams will create a series of pre-incident plans, with a specially trained and equipped series of intervention contingencies, able to demonstrate to our taxpayers and to the world that Toronto is indeed a world class city. This world class city is subject to the same types of incidents and threats that occur in other cities it's size, and we will offer a high level of readiness to deal with almost any type of emergency. Once this project has begun, Toronto HUSAR, and its partners, will offer such assistance to neighboring communities across the province. In time, it is the plan to be able to deploy such assistance, nationally and internationally, if required. Toronto's Emergency Services have begun its leadership role in making this project happen. It is a considerable challenge, one for which our city is now prepared.

Upon completion of this project, the City of Toronto, with the leadership of Toronto HUSAR, will have achieved a new state of readiness. This capability will be in the form of a highly organized team called a Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team (HUSAR), the likes of which were instrumental to the success of the emergency response at Oklahoma City (US&R in the U.S.).

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) - formerly Critical Infrastucture Protection and Emergency Preperadness OCIPEP - defines HUSAR as:

"The location of trapped persons in collapsed structures using dogs and sophisticated search equipment; the use of heavy equipment such as cranes to remove debris; the work to breach, shore, remove and lift structural components; the treatment and removal of victims; and the securing of partially or completely collapsed structures. These Teams are expected to be completely self sufficient for 72 hours."

Toronto HUSAR, our Heavy Urban Search And Rescue Team, will be a multi-service, multi-skilled, and multi-functional task force developed within the framework of existing response agencies. Our Team will have the capability to deal with almost any type of incident either man made or natural. The Team may be used in part by the local emergency services or as a whole depending on the requirement. Toronto HUSAR will be fully deployable on a 24/7 basis with a muster time of 6 hours. The project, now well underway, began with a complete assessment of community risks and rescue requirements.

The Toronto HUSAR Project will act as a framework for structuring existing emergency service personnel and other city employees from the local level into an integrated response Team. This community based HUSAR Team takes advantage of the pre-existing organizations that support them. The emergency service personnel who perform this work on a daily basis will be further trained in many related fields of rescue, giving them the ability to function as a unique and independent Team, if necessary.

Search and Rescue in a collapsed structure is a highly complicated, dangerous task. It involves a team of well-trained individuals in a variety of disciplines. In order to be prepared for any eventuality, the Team's training would be on-going, encountering many different types of scenarios.