Hello Everyone,

First let me say, I hope all our members and their families are doing well during this Public Health Emergency known as Covid-19.

OHMRA has been contacted by some members, who were sourcing equipment and services, as well as looking for consultation on equipment choices and protocols.

I would ask all members to continue sharing or searching for information on Covid-19 response, using our various What’s App applications or emailing any of our Executives and Branch Officers.

We will do our best to support you during these tough times.

I would also like to update everyone with our schedule for the remainder of the year.

The following are cancelled/rescheduled:

The meeting to discuss Portable Chemical Detection Equipment with a representative from Anton Paar Canada on March 24, has been cancelled and will be rescheduled when able to do so.

The Hydrogen Sulfide response training event, scheduled with Paris Fire for April 14, has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.

The CN Rail 911 training car scheduled in Hamilton in May is cancelled.

The OHMRA association meeting scheduled in the Barrie area for June 1 is cancelled.

The 5-day Radiation Specialist course scheduled with Qal Tek at Grimsby Fire for June 8 to 12, is cancelled and will be rescheduled.

Continuing:

The OHMRA association meeting for Sept 17 is still scheduled. 

The location is:

WRESTRC at 1001 Erbs Rd, Waterloo at 0900.

The training topic is:

“Total PPE considerations"  

This includes all respiratory protection and gowns/suits offering protection from blood borne pathogens up to and including Hazmat/CBRNE protection such as the new NFPA 1994, Class 1 non encapsulating vapour tight suits.

 The 3-hour program includes lunch and will be facilitated by Rick Brown and assisted by Dan Guitar from Kappler Canada.

The Emergency Services week is still scheduled in Niagara Falls Canada. 

The week consist of:

Oct 5 to 7 - First Responders Operations (FRO), a 3-day hazmat course for all Emergency First Responders, presented by the International Association of Fire Fighters Association. 

This course is free of charge (provided by funding from the Federal Government) and will be held at the Niagara Falls Fire Training Center.

Oct 5 to 7 - Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), a certification course held at the Americana Conference Hotel.

Oct 7 - A Designated Officer (DO) certification course, provided by Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA), held at the Americana Conference Hotel.

Oct 7 - A Post Fire Decon Symposium, discussing procedures to better the health concerns of Firefighters after a working fire. Held at the Americana Conference Hotel.

Oct 8 and 9 - HAZMAT Central 2020, a 2-day conference for all Responders and Designated Officers, dealing with today’s CBRNE and biological challenges.

Postponed/Delayed

While the Emergency Services week in Niagara Falls is continuing as scheduled, the following postponements will allow some recovery time before going forward with HAZMAT Central 2020.

The commitment date for Instructors, Vendors and Sponsors, previously scheduled for Apr 30 will be moved to June 15.

Release date for conference registrations, previously scheduled for June 1 will be moved to July 15.

Please note:

As the current emergency is very fluid, we will continue to make the necessary changes as required.

Please EVERYONE stay safe, and let's all work together to resolve this Covid-19 situation.

Rick Brown

OHMRA Chair

905-975-2443

rick@ohmra.ca