Military planning for May 3-5 exercise throughout Huron and Bruce counties
Preparations are underway for a military exercise that will involve the participation of 800 army reservists in training scenarios throughout Huron and Bruce counties May 3-5.
Dubbed Trillium Venture, the military exercise conducted by 31 Brigade Group will simulate an extreme heat scenario and see reservists perform a variety of tasks.
The exercise will be headquartered at the Blyth Community Centre and will cover approximately 250 kilometres from southern Huron County north to Lion's Head in Bruce County.
Lt. Col. Christopher van den Berg said at a press conference April 20 in Blyth that members of the public can expect to see reservists in communities throughout the region, including Hensall, Goderich, Mildmay, Lucknow, Kincardine, Wingham and more, with the largest concentration in Blyth at the battalion headquarters.
Members of the community will have the ability to interact with the reservists and tour the portable headquarters in Blyth.
“I encourage anybody with interest to come on out and see what it is that we're doing,” van den Berg said.
More specifics about locations are expected to be released closer to the date of the exercise.
The lieutenant colonel said the exercise will have reservists training for tasks they would potentially be doing in a real heat scenario, including firefighting, all-terrain vehicle and watercraft training, simulated search and rescue, wellness checks that will involve knocking on doors, simulated long-term care home evacuations, and dealing with road obstructions and power outages.
“The exercise will provide a valuable learning experience for our troops,” van den Berg said.
Using a large area such as Huron-bruce will provide a realistic simulation for the reservists, he explained.
The exercise has seen the military co-ordinate with local municipalities, police, fire departments and emergency medical services. Emergency Preparedness Ontario will establish an emergency operations centre in Wingham during the exercise.
Maj. Adrian Dereniowski said military exercises rotate through different areas, and the co-ordination with the involved communities results in those regions being the most prepared for domestic operations.
“From a messaging perspective, when we leave this exercise May 5, there will be no region in Ontario more prepared for a domestic operation because of that networking that's happened,” he said.
The 31 Canadian Brigade Group is based in London and consists of 12 units and 2,000 reserve soldiers across Southwestern Ontario, running from Hamilton to Windsor and north to Owen Sound.