The Department of Public Safety Canada is mandated to build safer, more resilient communities by taking actions to reduce the risks and consequences faced by Canadians, ranging from natural disasters to crime and terrorism. As part of its leadership role in strengthening Canada’s emergency management system, the Department has been working with provinces and municipalities to develop and sustain disaster response capabilities related to Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR). Since 2016, Public Safety Canada has invested over $20M through its national HUSAR program, which has supported the advancement of six federally recognized Task Forces: CAN-TF1 Vancouver, CAN-TF2 Calgary, CAN-TF3 Toronto, CAN-TF4 Manitoba, CAN-TF5 Halifax and CAN-TF6 Montreal.
Federally recognized HUSAR Task Forces are professional, interdisciplinary all-hazards disaster response teams with specialized capabilities and equipment to locate, extricate, and provide medical aid to injured or trapped persons in a variety of emergencies (e.g., building collapses, mudslides, flooding, and forest fires) as well as conduct structural assessments to support recovery efforts. Task Force rosters include rescue specialists, medical personnel (e.g., doctors, paramedics), structural engineers, communications experts, canine and technical searchers, logistics personnel, and command staff.
As the project lead, Public Safety Canada is leveraging technical experts from four of six federally recognized HUSAR Task Forces:
- CAN-TF1 – Vancouver
- CAN-TF2 – Calgary
- CAN-TF4 – Manitoba
- CAN-TF5 – Halifax
A range of experts from the participating Task Forces have been involved in the diagnostic visit to Manila in January 2025 and the development and delivery of the technical search course delivered during the technical visit to Canada in April and May 2025.