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Exercise Trillium Resolve (Huron Challenge IV)

More than 1,000 fire and emergency services personnel were involved in last week's mock-disaster exercise that affected the Bruce Power nuclear generating station and surrounding communities. Firefighters from the Saugeen Shores Fire Department, along with members of the Ontario Provincial Police disaster-response teams, ran several evolutions at a home that had been struck by a tornado as part of the exercise. Photos by Laura King and Catherine Connolly.

October 22, 2012
By Olivia D'Orazio

Frank Saunders, vice-president of nuclear oversight and regulatory affairs at the Bruce Power nuclear generating station briefs reporters on the mock disaster scenario (tornado). More than 1,000 personnel were involved in the exercise that affected Bruce Power and surrounding communities. Photos by Laura King and Catherine Connolly.


The newly constructed emergency management centre at the Bruce Power visitors' centre.	The tornado-striken home in Saugeen Shores, Ont., that allowed Saugeen Shores Fire Department, the Ontario Provincial Police's urban search and rescue team, and the CBRNE response team (UCRT) to run drills.


OPP Sgt. Mike Dolderman of the OPP's UCRT briefs media before running three evolutions at the tornado-stricken home in Saugeen Shores, Ont.	The Saugeen Shores Fire Department played a significant role in the exercise, which started with high winds, rain and flooding in the community and progressed to a tornado and a call for support for Bruce Power.


The OPP and Saugeen Shores Fire Department stage a rooftop rescue for media and VIPs touring the sites.


Saugeen Shores Fire Chief Phil Eagleson and Kevin Foster, president of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, watching the scenarios unfold.

Saugeen Shores Fire Department


High school drama students acted as victims of the tornado.


First responders used the mock disaster exercise to practice other skills; a clandestine lab was found in a shed behind the tornado-stricken home.

Ontario's Emergency Medical Assistance Team (EMAT), established in 2004 and operated by the Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine, set up its 56-bed field hospital in Port Elgin as part of the response to Bruce Power having been struck by a tornado. Once activated, the EMAT can be on site anywhere in Ontario with road access with 24 hours. For EMAT to respond, an emergency must be focused on severe respiratory illness, be a mass casualty incident or require medical care for victims of a CBRN emergency.


EMAT's oxygen supply unit.	EMAT's hospital unit.


The field radiological sampling an monitoring station staffed by experts from the Federal Radiological Assessment Team (FRAT) and Ontario's Assurance Monitoring Group (AMG).