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OPP, fire marshal to fight drug labs
June 17, 2009, Toronto - A partnership agreement between the Ontario Provincial Police and Ontario Fire Marshal is improving the safety of fire, police and emergency services personnel by addressing the health, safety and environmental dangers associated with clandestine drug labs in Ontario.
June 17, 2009
By OPP corporate communications
At a media conference Tuesday, the Hon. Rick Bartolucci, minister of community safety & correctional services, OPP Deputy Commissioner Vince
Hawkes, provincial commander responsible for investigations and organized crime and Ontario Fire Marshal Patrick Burke described the development of a co-operative partnership agreement.
Protocols have been developed to co-ordinate the training and response of emergency services to the dangerous conditions and toxic environment posed by clandestine drug labs and to restore the safety of the communities where these labs are located.
The OPP Drug Enforcement Section (DES) also unveiled its latest asset for dismantling clandestine drug labs, a specially designed provincial investigative response vehicle.
On average, over the last six months, the Office of the Fire Marshal has been called to a fire involving a marijuana grow operation or illegal drug lab every 15 days,” said Burke.
These types of fires are very dangerous to first responders and the entire community. The new partnership being developed with the OPP will minimize the health and safety risks for firefighters and others, through
increased enforcement and training."
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