Pubdate: Mon, 05 Mar 2007
Source: Prince Albert Daily Herald (CN SN)
Copyright: 2007 Prince Albert Daily Herald
Contact:  http://www.paherald.sk.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1918
Author: Moe Brondum

IT WAS JUST PROPAGANDA!

Editor, Daily Herald:

It was just propaganda!

It is important that police, firefighters and ambulance personnel be 
prepared for all kinds of disasters and emergencies. However, the 
DAILY Herald story on Feb 28, "It's just a drill," is a shameful 
piece of propaganda that neither informs readers about emergency 
training practices nor provides any safety information that might 
prove useful. Instead, the reader is given the impression that more 
training is required to combat crystal meth labs.

Is this really true? A scan of Canadian newspapers from 2000-07 
reveals only one incidence of such an explosion. The event, which 
resulted in two injuries, occurred in Mississauga, Ont., in 2006.

It is a real shame that essential emergency services must resort to 
such tactics to get proper funding and recognition. While it is a 
long shot that Prince Albert firefighters will need to rescue 
party-goers at a "clandestine meth lab," they are called upon daily 
to help us all with our everyday emergencies. We should thank them 
for that and ask our politicians to put some money into training to 
respond to emergencies that might actually happen.

Moe Brondum

North Battleford
- ---
MAP posted-by: Elaine