2011 Line-Up Announced

Burlington, Ontario

The theme of the PS411 2011 day-of-seminars has been released along with the list of keynote speakers that have been invited to attend. 

"From 9/11 & 7/7 to Today: The Lessons Learned"

The event will once again be held at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington and will feature high profile keynote presenters from the USA, the UK and here at home.  Invited speakers include a 9/11 surviving Assistant Fire Commissioner from New York; the initial Gold Commander during 7/7 in London, a public safety communications Director that was on duty in Washington when the Pentagon was struck; and an internatonal security and terrorism expert from Canada's Royal Military College. These professionals will reflect back on the events and inform attendees about what changes have been put into place while also informing attendees of what may come in the future.

The final line up will be listed on this publicsafety411.ca website and registration will open this summer.

Plan now on attending what has become the most talked about lecture series being offered to public safety management and allied disciplines. 

Trunk I.T. ©

Kingston, Ontario

With a new law having come into effect recently in both Ontario and B.C. these two provinces have become the latest to outlaw the handling of cellular phones and other high tech gadgetry whilst behind the wheel .  

Given the research data that's now out there for all to read it was high time these two provinces joined the other thirty two countries that have gone before them to enact such legislation. While Ontario & B.C. join but a handful of provinces that have mandated this common sense law it will undoubtedly prevent thousands of Canadian road crashes each year.  
As anyone knows who is a constant user of the highways and byways the temptation can be overwhelming to maximize the drive time by reading and answering emails before, during and after work while behind the wheel. Public safety professionals are not immune as the PDA addiction has reached into the area of personal and professional transport with a vengeance. This is especially true when the 'rush' hour sees motorists sitting idle for inordinate amounts of time.  However the statistics are clear - this behaviour can and does result in property damage, injuries and sometimes, death.  Research indicates that some drivers are as likely to be involved in a crash whilst texting or manually operating a mobile phone as they would be if driving at the legal intoxication limit. The other tangible finding is that much of the emails and SMS’ing surrounded subject matter that in retrospect was not urgent and which could have been handled once away from the car. In Canada that means literally thousands of vehicular incidents could have been prevented by just not touching these devices.
Besides the obvious answer, turning the PDA off, there is a simple solution to the problem for those who still want to use their phones: put any bluetooth-equipped device in the trunk of the car.  Signal strength is not diminished and sending and receiving phone calls will not be affected. With the handset out of sight temptation will not rear its ugly head and drivers will be able to concentrate on what's really important when behind the wheel - driving!  An added benefit of achieving a bit more work-life balance might also be realized.

All motorists might well consider helping prevent the paying of heavy fines and or being involved in smashes by following this advice:

Make your calls safely and "Trunk I.T.©"    

Share a Cup with a Brave Canuck!TM

Toronto

Public Safety 411 is proud to display a link to one of the best thought out good deeds in the history of Canadian's ongoing support of our troops.  (And we've invited the leaders of this initiative to attend at PS411 2010 to spread the good news.)

Please read this excerpt from the Toronto Examiner and come to the show, where you can also show your support:

The holidays are over and it’s time to get back to the daily grind, but that doesn't mean the brave women and men of the Canadian Forces don't still need a little pick-me-up.

By taking a page from the book of Toronto Emergency Medical Services personnel, you can share a cup of coffee, and few inspiring words, with brave Canucks.

The Share A Cup Campaign

Now in its 2nd year, the Share a Cup With a Brave Canuck campaign invites Canadians to donate Tim Hortons gift cards for men and women of the Canadian Forces to enjoy at the Kandahar Base Tim Hortons outlet.

Ric Rangel-Bron, Share-A-Cup Coordinator and a manager of operations at EMS, says that the campaign was so successful that they had collected over 6000 cards by their December 16 deadline. The overwhelming response has inspired organizers to continue the campaign year-round, so our troops can enjoy a little piece of home long after you’ve taken down your tree and trimmings.


How to participate

1. Go to any Tim Hortons outlet and purchase the quantity of Tim Cards you wish to send. Organizers ask that each Tim Card be in $10.00 denominations.

2. Place the receipt in the Tim Card envelope, behind the actual plastic Tim Card, just in case that your Tim Card was encoded incorrectly. The staff in Kandahar will honour the receipt value.

3. Here’s the writing part! Pick up your pen and write a personal message on the flap of the Tim Card envelope. According to Rangel-Bron, this is the part our troops like the most - a message from you, the average Canadian!

4. Send your Tim Cards to Toronto EMS at the following address:

Share A Cup With A Brave Canuck! Challenge
Toronto Emergency Medical Services
4330 Dufferin Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada, M3H 5R9

Attn: Ric Rangel-Bron

5. Sit back and reflect on how you have just made the day a little bit better for one of our brave Canadians so far away from home!!

More information

To keep updated on the campaign, visit the Share a Cup website at www.shareacup.ca

You can also visit the Toronto EMS website at www.torontoems.ca for photos and updates.