Hundreds of reservists with the Canadian Armed Forces returned to Chilliwack, British Columbia, to hone their disaster relief skills.
Combat Engineer Reservists from regiments across the country will take part in the annual training known as “Exercise Paladin Response” this week.
“They come from all over Canada; we have units in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba,” said Canadian Armed Forces Sgt. Jerry Liu.
“We even have members of the U.S. military here. They come from Washington and Oregon.
This multi-day exercise provides an opportunity for approximately 200 reservists to hone their skills in the design, planning and construction of rafts and bridges. This includes the construction of medium girder bridges and the construction of prefabricated modular steel Acrow bridges.
“The Acrow Bridge is more like what we call the Line of Communication Bridge. It is used more for heavy logistics behind the lines or for domestic operations. It’s a little more robust. It’s supposed to stay in place longer,” the sergeant said. Liu. “While the MG medium girder bridge is more of a temporary bridge for traffic forces. This would eventually be replaced by an Acrow Bridge, should it be needed for an extended period of time.
Receive national news daily
Get the day’s top news, politics, business and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
Another part of the training includes driving assault boats and assembling medium pontoon bridges on Cultus Lake.
“Here in Maple Bay we are developing the PMR, a medium flotation raft used to transport vehicles and troops,” said Canadian Armed Forces Sgt. Trevor Hanson.
“If there’s a flood somewhere or any other type of disaster… we can use it as a bridge to get, whether it’s civilians or soldiers, to where we need to support them .”
Reservists are personnel primarily serving in part-time duty positions; many of them work full-time civilian jobs or study full-time at the post-secondary level.
According to Lt.-Col. Stephen Piers, One of the primary roles of combat engineers is to provide the military with mobility support.
“Reserve Force combat engineers are particularly focused on supporting domestic operations, such as responding to natural disasters,” said Lt. Col. Piers, “where they may be called upon to assist provincial and territorial authorities as part of Operation LENTUS, which has occurred regularly over the past several years.”
Training will continue throughout the week before the reservists return home on New Year’s Eve, ready to be called upon when their help is most needed.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.