First responders in North Bay put to test in training situation

North Bay -

North Bay took part in a simulated hazardous material release Tuesday, involving rail cars in the Ottawa Valley Railway yard off Oak Street in the city’s downtown.

The training allowed emergency services, along with municipal and government agencies, to assess and adjust the response and intervention plans with these types of incidents.

“It’s always good to test your policies -- it helps you look at pinch points in your response,” said North Bay Fire Chief Jason Whiteley.

“Where we need to train more, what are we doing well, what do we need to do better? What equipment do we need? There’s just so many different things that come into doing an exercise.”

Emergency management specialists were also on site at the training. They said residents in North Bay are in good hands if an emergency ever happens.

“I found that this team is a very high-performing team. There’s a lot of good forward-thinking progression going on,” said Michelle Gervais, from Gervais Emergency Consulting.

“The team themselves have identified from past experiences operational opportunities to explore, and we’re looking at how we can progress so that North Bay continues to be a leader in emergency services.”

The Ottawa Fire Department also joined Tuesday’s exercise. Both fire departments are a part of the Provincial Hazardous Materials Response Team, where they will help other municipalities in emergencies if needed.