December 7, 2017 | Local, Land, Security
December 6, 2017 – 8 WING TRENTON, Ont – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Canada's new defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, reaffirms the government's commitment to providing the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces with the support and equipment they need to do their jobs. Today, in support of this commitment, Member of Parliament Neil Ellis announced on behalf of Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan that 8 Wing Trenton is the first location to take possession of the new fire trucks.
Known as the Aerial Fire Fighting Vehicle (AFFV) these modern trucks provide fire fighting capabilities, rescue and casualty evacuation to a height of 35 meters. They feature a casualty recovery platform that previous vehicles didn't have. The vehicles were procured to fight fires on modern infrastructure found on Bases and Wings including fires in ammunition and fuel containment areas.
The new fire trucks will replace some of the current vehicles that have been in use since the mid-90s and that have exceeded their life expectancy. They will add to those firefighting fleets that do not have the capabilities the AFFV will bring.
In June 2016, a contract was awarded to Aréo-Feu based in Longueuil, Québec to supply the vehicles. A total of nine new vehicles will be delivered to Bases and Wings across Canada. The last vehicle is expected to be delivered in April 2018, with an option to purchase three more vehicles.
“Modernizing the equipment the Canadian Armed Forces rely on to do their jobs is a key priority for the Government of Canada. I am pleased to see that the new Aerial Fire Fighting Vehicle is being delivered to Bases and Wings across the country.”
– Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan
“It is great news that the first delivery of the new Aerial Fire Fighting Vehicle occurred here at 8 Wing Trenton. More importantly, this is good news for the firefighters and emergency services workers who will use this modern vehicle in service to the 8 Wing Trenton community.”
– Neil Ellis, Member of Parliament for Bay of Quinte
The $18.7 million contract for these vehicles was awarded to Aréo-Feu based in Longueuil, Québec, after a fair, open and transparent competition.
A total of nine new vehicles will be delivered to Bases and Wings across Canada with an option for three more. First delivery began in November 2017 with final delivery expected for April 2018.
The following Bases and Wings will each receive one new Aerial Fire Fighting Vehicles: 4 Wing Cold Lake, 3 Wing Bagotville, 8 Wing Trenton, 19 Wing Comox, 14 Wing Greenwood, CFB Suffield, CFB Shilo, CFB Gagetown and CFB Esquimalt.
Byrne Furlong
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of National Defence
613-996-3100
Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-996-2353
Toll-Free: 1-866-377-0811
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Murray Brewster Canada's ban on new arms exports to Turkey has been extended indefinitely, Global Affairs confirmed today. The Liberal government imposed a suspension on the approval of export permits last fall after Turkish forces launched an incursion into northern Syria. Charles-Marie Matte, deputy director of the export controls division at Global Affairs, said in an email that approvals have been suspended "until further notice." The government of Turkish President Recep Erdoğan has insisted the incursion was necessary to create a buffer zone against Kurdish militia forces. Turkey is on a Canadian government list of "trusted" countries where Canadian defence contractors can safely do business and sell sophisticated, restricted weapons. While some permit applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the revised notification makes it clear that certain military items "will be presumptively denied" to Turkey. In other words, companies with those goods shouldn't even bother applying for permission to sell them to Turkey. 'Exceptional circumstances' The items in question include ammunition, light weapons, armour, protective equipment and electronics. "Exceptional circumstances" related to Canada's international alliance commitments might see the government consider issuing a permit, the notice said. An example might be the export of components for "a NATO missile defence system," Matte said in an email. Turkey has said it's willing to buy U.S.-made MIM-104 Patriot air defence missiles system if it gets a good price from Washington. The country's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, was quoted in international publications last week saying his country was interested in the purchase as part of a solution to the stalemate with the Trump administration over the Erdogan government's purchase of a Russian-made S-400 air defence system. Cavusoglu also repeated Turkey's offer to lead "a technical working group" with NATO to iron out concerns about his country operating the Russian system while still being part of the alliance. U.S. defence contractor Raytheon, which has a branch in Canada, manufactures the Patriot missile system. Rising tensions with Syria Since the incursion last fall, tensions between Turkey and Syria have only increased and came close to boiling over last winter. There were direct clashes between the Turkish army and Syrian government forces in late February and early March. An air strike on rebel-held territory in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib on Feb 27 killed 34 Turkish soldiers. In response, Turkey shot down three Syrian warplanes and has used armed drones to carry out several attacks on forces loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Several other countries — including France, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Spain and Germany — have imposed an arms embargo on Turkey. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/turkey-canada-arms-sales-nato-1.5541714
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