Ottawa area training exercise explosion injures police officers, paramedics

[PMedMoe]

Five inured after training blast

Two police officers and three paramedics have been injured in a training exercise involving small explosives near Ottawa.

Two officers from the Ottawa Police Service and three paramedics were injured Wednesday morning after an explosion at a training site near the intersection of March and Klondike Roads in Kanata.

The officers and one paramedic suffered minor injuries, while two of the other paramedics suffered serious injuries, Chief Charles Bordeleau said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred at about 10 a.m. ET.

The injured were taken to hospital. One of the paramedics was treated and discharged and the two others were transported to the Ottawa Hospital, a hospital spokesperson confirmed to CTV News.

More at link

 

[PanaEng]

May they have a quick and full recovery.

Lots of question in my mind though. Foremost, why were the paramedics so close to the explosives? They shouldn't have been anywhere near the exp prep area or the stack IMO. Will be interesting to see the results of the investigation.

Chimo!

 

[Towards_the_gap]

May they have a quick and full recovery.

Lots of question in my mind though. Foremost, why were the paramedics so close to the explosives? They shouldn't have been anywhere near the exp prep area or the stack IMO. Will be interesting to see the results of the investigation.

Chimo!

My thoughts exactly.

Chances are though the results of the investigation won't enter the public domain unless a specific FOI request is made.

 

[mariomike]

Came across an update from July of this year,

Mississauga (23 July, 2015) --- The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Tony Loparco, has reasonable grounds to believe three police officers with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) committed criminal offences in relation to the injuries sustained by 45-year-old Craig MacInnes and 30-year-old Reid Purdy in June of 2014. Director Loparco has caused charges to be laid against the officers.   
http://www.siu.on.ca/en/news_template.php?nrid=2346

July 23, 2015
Two City of Ottawa tactical paramedics — Craig MacInnes and Reid Purdy — suffered serious burns to their faces. A third paramedic and two Ottawa police tactical officers were also injured during the joint-training exercise in which officers trying to force entry into an abandoned home using explosives were engulfed by what officers described as a “fireball” of gas.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-tactical-officers-to-be-charged-by-the-siu

 

[mariomike]

29 Sep 2016

Ottawa Police fill a breaching device with wiper fluid instead of water, badly burn Paramedics, face no discipline.

http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/09/29/charged-stayed-in-training-exercise-blast-that-wounded-two-paramedics