Media Advisory - PortsToronto Hosts Annual Emergency Preparedness Water Training Exercises on May 15

200 Harbour Tour Boat Officers and Crew to Train for a Safe Summer on the Water

TORONTO, May 14, 2018 /CNW/ - On Tuesday, May 15, PortsToronto will partner with its Toronto Marine Emergency Response Council partners to host Marine Safety Day—an annual emergency preparedness training that brings together more than 200 officers and crew who work on the tour boats that operate in Toronto's Harbour throughout the summer.

Marine Safety Day features training modules that provide officers and crew with hands-on experience in different emergency scenarios they may encounter while working on a boat. Expert trainers from the Toronto Police Marine Unit, Toronto Fire Marine Unit and George Brown College will guide participants through exercises that include fighting a fire, a person overboard, water rescues, crowd control and abandoning ship. This training will ensure that the crew onboard harbour tour ships are equipped with the skills required to deal with any emergency situation, should one arise.

WHAT:	PortsToronto joins its Toronto Marine Emergency Response Council partners, including fire and police officials, in conducting emergency preparedness training for approximately 200 officers and crew who work on the tour boats that operate in Toronto's Harbour.
	Trainees will rotate through training modules based on first aid, evacuation, water survival, basic firefighting, emergency response, and security and crowd control.
WHO:	Angus Armstrong, Harbour Master Emeritus, PortsToronto
WHEN:	Tuesday, May 15, 2018 from 10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
	10:00 a.m. Opening Address from Angus Armstrong
	10:15 a.m. Raft inflation
	10:30 a.m. Rotations begin for safety modules
WHERE:	Cruise Ship Terminal, 8 Unwin Avenue, at the foot of Cherry Street
PHOTO OP:	A 45-person life raft will be launched and used to practice safe "abandon ship" protocol. A volunteer in an exposure suit will enter the water and demonstrate how to get into a life raft from the water. Participants will also practice using ring buoys, and fighting small fires using fire extinguishers and fire hoses.
NOTE:	- Outdoor wear is recommended as this is a marine industrial environment.
	- There is ample free public parking at the terminal.

About Ports Toronto (http://www.portstoronto.com/)

For more than 100 years PortsToronto has worked with its partners at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to enhance the economic growth of the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. PortsToronto owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which welcomed more than 2.8 million passengers in 2017; the Outer Harbour Marina, one of Canada's largest freshwater marinas; and, Terminals 51 and 52, which provide transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses at the Port of Toronto. PortsToronto is committed to fostering strong, healthy and sustainable communities and has invested more than $9 million since 2009 in charitable initiatives and environmental programs that benefit communities along Toronto's waterfront and beyond. PortsToronto operates in accordance with the Canada Marine Act and is guided by a nine-member board with representation from all three levels of government.

SOURCE PortsToronto

Media Contact: Jen Brailsford, Communications Officer, PortsToronto, Tel: [phone], Cell: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]

Related Links

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