6 avril 2020 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

Idled industrial plants seen as an untapped source of protective equipment for health workers

Families of health workers in Quebec driving grassroots campaign to get pandemic equipment to hospitals

Murray Brewster

Guillaume Tardif, a soon-to-be-retired army tank officer, quietly but frantically combed the internet in January as coronavirus reports coming out of Wuhan, China became more alarming.

Even then, he was convinced a viral storm was approaching and was determined to do everything possible to protect his wife, a Montreal emergency room physician — up to and including the purchase of reusable face masks.

Tardif, a captain who served in Afghanistan, has been at the forefront of an unusual grassroots campaign in Quebec — driven by the families of frightened health care workers — to mobilize the provincial and federal governments to requisition industrially-certified respirators from idled industries and suppliers.

He spent over $800 out of his own pocket to equip his wife with personal protective equipment (PPE) for the daily battle against coronavirus.

"She's the love of my life," Tardif said in an interview. "She's the mother of my children and I'm going to make sure that I do everything possible for her to come home every night and us to get through this."

(Staff at the hospital where his spouse works have been warned not to talk to the media and CBC News has agreed not to publish Tardif's wife name, or the name of the facility where she works.)

Tapping into industrial supplies

Other families in the medical community have followed Tardif's lead by buying up large stocks of industrial masks and respirators locally, and donating them.

Earlier this week, the federal government announced an ambitious $2 billion plan to swiftly increase the stock of personal protective equipment for frontline health-care workers caring for critically-ill and dying patients.

Quebec Premier François Legault said Tuesday the province has three to four days before it runs out of some personal protective equipment (PPE), but that the province has orders that are expected to arrive in the coming days. The province went through a year's worth of PPE in a matter of weeks because of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

The question of whether the federal stockpile of equipment is adequate has been on federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu's mind.

"No we likely do not have enough," she told the daily media briefing Wednesday. "I think federal governments for decades have been underfunding things like public health preparedness and I would say that obviously governments all across the world are in the same exact situation."

In all likelihood, it will be weeks before suppliers, old and new, can ramp up production of vital equipment such as medically-certified N95 masks, which many doctors and nurses throughout the country are being forced to ration and reuse.

Tardif argues there is a large alternative supply of identical industrial-grade masks and respirators that can be requisitioned by the federal government and the provinces in the meantime.

"We need to take every chance to avoid running out of PPE and in my opinion that involves requisitioning every device that's out there," he said.

It's a good idea, says doctor

Dr. Andrew Willmore, medical director of emergency management at the Ottawa Hospital, said having the provinces or the federal government coordinate the collection of industrial protective equipment is a very good idea.

"I think it's absolutely useful," Willmore said. "I think it's a very important role, both federal and provincial, to be able to enact the appropriate legislative measures by which they can really dig down into industry and create a pool of resources that can be distributed equitably in a way that supports the health care system as a whole."

Both 3M, the manufacturer of the N95, and Health Canada have said industrial masks — the kind used in construction, factories and paint shops, where fumes are a problem — are a suitable emergency substitute.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that major shipments of protective equipment, including millions of masks, have started to arrive — one shipment landed on Wednesday — and federal officials are in the process of conducting inventory and getting the equipment out to the provinces.

"We will be there to support the provinces and territories with whatever they need," he said during his daily media briefing. "This includes sending personal protective equipment and other supports for the health care system."

The shortage of protective equipment for hospital staff was to be the subject of a teleconference between Trudeau and the premiers Thursday night.

Willmore said the Ottawa Hospital has reached out to some local businesses in the hopes of laying its hands on an industrial supply.

In other parts of the country, major industrial concerns have stepped forward. Honda Canada donated 1,200 masks to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, Ont., and a further 1,000 and 40,000 pairs of gloves to the Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston, Ont.

'A single point of failure'

Tardif said his research suggests that's a fraction of the industrial stock across the country and it's the federal government's responsibility to step in and coordinate a nationwide drive.

Shortages of protective equipment for health care staff in a pandemic create "a single point of failure" for the whole system because it either puts doctors, nurses and technicians in danger or leaves them unable to provide care, Willmore said, adding that "the highest levels of government" need to engage with the problem.

It has been suggested that giving health care staff reusable respirators, such as the 3M-manufactured 6000, would help cut down on the use of disposable masks.

Willmore said that depends on the environment and the patient being treated, noting that there's a danger involved in overusing some equipment. Cost and availability are other factors.

"These are expensive pieces of equipment and they're difficult to source, especially since there's been a pull to purchase such equipment," he said. "It's certainly effective but there are practical limitations."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-coronavirus-pandemic-masks-respirators-1.5518401

Sur le même sujet

24 juillet 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

434 Squadron reformed as test and evaluation centre
Chris Thatcher When your squadron lineage includes bomber, strike, fighter, operational training, and combat support roles, and your predecessors have flown everything from the Handley Page Halifax bomber to the Avro Lancaster, Canadair F-86 Sabre, Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter, Canadair CC-144 Challenger, and CT-133 Silver Star, it's perhaps fitting that you get reborn as an operational test and evaluation squadron. At a ceremony at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., on May 31, the Royal Canadian Air Force reformed the 434 “Bluenose” Squadron as 434 Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E) Squadron, under command of the RCAF Aerospace Warfare Centre (RAWC). The squadron last served as a combat support squadron in the 1990s, based at 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S. It was disbanded in 2002 and its colours placed in the All Saints Cathedral in Halifax. “The fact that [the squadron] has flown so many different aircraft is [appropriate], in that we have now taken on OT&E for every single aircraft within the RCAF,” said LCol Graham Edwards, a long-range patrol navigator and the new commanding officer. 434 Squadron is being reformed and re-branded in response to the government's 2017 defence policy. With 13 initiatives specific to the RCAF and many aircraft due to be replaced or modernized, the workload for operational test and evaluation is going to increase. By amalgamating five existing test and evaluation flights (TEFs)–helicopter, long-range patrol, transport, land aviation, and fighter–with two new flights for search and rescue and aerospace systems under one command, the Air Force hopes to better manage its limited resources as more platforms and systems require testing and evaluation. “It was deemed that the status quo won't work if we are to achieve success with those initiatives,” said Edwards. Historically, test and evaluation has been managed within each fleet of aircraft, but it has often drawn people from the operational squadrons and into the testing seats to conduct a trial of a new aircraft or aircraft system. Each community will continue to develop its own testing expertise, but by centralizing decisions about how those people are assigned, 434 Squadron hopes to manage the strain when capabilities are being introduced at the same time that the aircraft are being deployed. Search and rescue aircraft, the CP-140 Aurora or the strategic transport CC-177 Globemaster, for example, rarely have a dip in operational tempo. “They can keep the structure of their operational force together,” Edwards said of the operational squadrons. “As the fleets convert back to operations with the new platform, we'll take the people from the test and evaluation chairs and move them back to the operational chairs. And then I can reallocate those test and evaluation [positions] to the next fleet that is undergoing the next transition.” The two new flights are intended to address the arrival of the new CC-295W search and rescue aircraft into service in 2019 and the many ground-based and airborne systems that support all the fleets being introduced in the coming years, such as navigation aids, communication systems, ground-based radars, data link systems, and even simulators. “The new Aero TEF is going to provide that body of expertise and create a body that is responsible to deliver that ground capability,” said Edwards, noting that a coordinated process will ensure interoperability between all systems during the OT&E phase. “There's no sense modifying the fleet with data link systems when we have not done the ground support with it.” By including 434 Squadron under the RAWC, which has been transformed in recent years as one of the RCAF's core pillars with 1 Canadian Air Division (operations) and 2 Canadian Air Division (training), lessons acquired during the test and evaluation phase should be more readily incorporated into the development of doctrine and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) that shape training and operations. Among Edwards' immediate priorities are the amalgamation of the TEFs and establishing a new governance structure, what he called an “air test and evaluation master plan.” But the process won't be completely new. As an exchange officer with RAF Waddington in 2008, he was part of the transformation of 56 Squadron into an OT&E unit for C4ISR (Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Intelligence, Surveillances and Reconnaissance), conducting trials on unmanned aerial systems, Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, and Hawker Siddeley Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft. The return of the squadron's colours was a proud moment and the members are keen to carry on its Bluenose traditions. No. 434 Squadron, adopted by the Rotary Club of Halifax, was the RCAF's 13th overseas bomber squadron, formed on June 13, 1943, at RCAF Station Tholthorpe in England. It was reformed as 434 Strike/Attack Squadron in 1963 and as 434 Operational Training Squadron in 1968. It was then re-designated 434 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron in 1970, as 434 Composite Squadron in 1992, and finally as 434 Combat Support Squadron in 1993. In its first two years of operations, the squadron accomplished eight significant battle honours, reflective of what it is trying to do now in a brief period, said Edwards. But he's hoping to break with at least one 434 Squadron tradition. “The squadron would stand down every time it switched to a new aircraft. Now that we have all the aircraft of the RCAF under the remit of 434, I hope to see a bit more longevity in the squadron.” Helicopter Operational Test & Evaluation Flight at 12 Wing Shearwater, N.S., is responsible for the operationalization of the CH-148 Cyclone Maritime Helicopter. Long Range Patrol Operational Test & Evaluation Flight in 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., is focused primarily on the CP-140 Aurora. Transport Operational Test and Evaluation Flight, located at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., deals with all air mobility fleets like the CC-130J Hercules, CC-177 Globemaster, and CC-150 Airbus. Land Aviation Test and Evaluation Flight is in St Hubert, Que., and supports tactical aviation helicopters like the CH-147 Chinooks and CH-146 Griffons. Fighter Operational Test & Evaluation Flight is in 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta. and deals with fighter aircraft. (new) Search and Rescue Test & Evaluation Flight will be stood-up at 19 Wing Comox, B.C., and will be responsible for the new Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue, CH-149 Cormorant, and the CC-130H Hercules and CH-146 Griffon SAR fleets. (new) The Aerospace Systems Test & Evaluation Flight will be co-located with 434 Squadron headquarters in 8 Wing Trenton and will deal with ground-based aeronautical systems such as radars, navigational aids, meteorological systems and data links. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/434-squadron-reformed-as-test-and-evaluation-centre/
14 novembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

L3 MAS REMPORTE D'AUTRES CONTRATS INTERNATIONAUX SUR DES FLOTTES D'AVIONS F/A-18
MIRABEL, Québec, 13 novembre 2018 – L3 MAS a aujourd'hui annoncé l'obtention de deux contrats à titre de fournisseur de soutien en service pour le compte d'exploitants de flottes d'avions F/A-18 internationaux. RUAG Aviation a récemment accordé à L3 MAS un contrat de modification préventive de la structure des ailes centrales, à des emplacements jugés à priorité élevée, sur les avions F/A-18 des Forces aériennes suisses (FAS). Ces modifications s'inscrivent dans le programme de remise en état structurale (SRP2) des F/A-18 et font partie de la stratégie visant à s'assurer que la flotte d'avions atteigne en toute sécurité sa durée de vie prévue. L3 MAS a aussi été choisie par l'entreprise Vertex Aerospace LLC, dont le siège social est au Mississippi, afin de réaliser des modifications et des réparations de troisième échelon sur trois avions F/A-18 de la NASA basés au centre de recherche Armstrong Flight Research Center (ARFC) de la Edwards Air Force Base, en Californie. L3 MAS effectuera tous les travaux sur les avions dans ses installations de Mirabel. « Nous sommes ravis de continuer à développer nos relations avec RUAG Aviation, le plus important fournisseur des FAS, et de compter la NASA (par l'intermédiaire de Vertex Aerospace LLC) parmi nos nombreux clients internationaux exploitants des flottes de F/A-18. Ces contrats constituent une preuve indéniable de la confiance que témoigne la communauté internationale de F/A-18 envers L3 MAS en tant que Centre d'excellence en avions de chasse », a affirmé Jacques Comtois, vice-président et directeur général de L3 MAS. « Notre entreprise bénéficie de compétences uniques et éprouvées, d'outils ainsi que d'un personnel expérimenté qui nous permettent d'offrir des services de classe mondiale et une valeur ajoutée aux exploitants d'avions de chasse. » L3 MAS est un chef de file mondial dans le développement et la mise en oeuvre de solutions structurales pour les F/A-18, ayant déjà exécuté des programmes structuraux majeurs pour l'Aviation royale canadienne et la Royal Australian Air Force, et assistant d'autres opérateurs dont les FAS, la Finnish Air Force, la US Navy et la NASA. À propos de L3 MAS L3 MAS, une division du segment d'affaires L3 ISR Systems, est le plus important intégrateur canadien de soutien en service (SES). L3 MAS offre des solutions innovatrices et intégrées qui couvrent l'éventail complet des activités de SES, notamment la gestion de flotte et la planification de la maintenance annuelle et son optimisation, la gestion du cycle de vie du matériel (GCVM), le soutien logistique intégré, les environnements d'information électroniques, l'ingénierie de systèmes, la gestion du matériel, la gestion de la configuration, les publications et la gestion de données. De plus, L3 MAS est reconnue pour ses activités de conception, de prototypage, de fabrication, de réparation et révision et de certification de composants aéronautiques. Le siège social de l'entreprise est situé à Mirabel, au Québec. Plus de 800 personnes sont employées dans les divers centres d'exploitation à travers le Canada. Pour en apprendre davantage sur L3 MAS, visitez le site Internet de l'entreprise au www.L3T.com/mas. À propos de L3 Technologies L3 Technologies est un chef de file novateur et agile qui fournit des systèmes globaux de RSR et des systèmes de communication en réseau et d'électronique destinés aux clients des secteurs militaire, de la sécurité intérieure et de l'aviation commerciale. L3, dont le siège social se trouve à New York, compte environ 31 000 employés à travers le monde et conçoit des technologies de défense et des solutions commerciales avancées en matière de formation des pilotes, de sécurité aérienne, de vision nocturne et d'EO/IR, d'armes, de systèmes maritimes et d'espace. L'entreprise a enregistré des ventes de 9,6 milliards de dollars en 2017. Pour en apprendre davantage sur L3, visitez le site Internet de l'entreprise au www.L3T.com. https://www.aeromontreal.ca/L3MAS-remporte-contrats-internationaux-F18.html
23 janvier 2019 | Local, Naval

Canadian navy pressing ahead on life extensions for submarines
By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The Department of National Defence is pushing ahead with plans to extend the lives of Canada's submarine fleet, with the head of the navy hoping some work will start in the coming months. The movement comes as countries around the world have stepped up investments in their submarine and anti-submarine fleets to protect their waters — and operate in waters not under their control. Canada's four Victoria-class submarines have a troubled history since they were bought second-hand from Britain in 1998, with successive governments investing hundreds of millions of dollars in constant repairs and upgrades. But in an interview with The Canadian Press, Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd said the diesel-powered submarines — HMCS Chicoutimi, Victoria, Corner Brook and Windsor — have finally turned a corner. Lloyd specifically pointed to HMCS Chicoutimi's having recently spent 197 days in the Pacific and Asia even as HMCS Windsor was patrolling the Mediterranean with NATO as proof the submarines are living up to their potential. "The fact we had two boats concurrently deployed, if that doesn't speak to the success of the program, I don't know what does," said Lloyd, who will retire from the military later this year after three years as navy commander. The clock has been ticking on the four vessels: without upgrades, the first of the submarines will reach the end of its life in 2022, according to documents obtained through access to information, while the last will retire in 2027. But the Liberals' defence policy promised to extend the lives of the vessels and Lloyd said defence officials are now working through the details to make sure they can continue to operate into the 2030s. More extensive work is expected to start in about three or four years but Lloyd said efforts are underway to start implementing some minor upgrades by March. Exactly how much upgrading all four submarines will cost remains uncertain, but Lloyd said the figure that officials are working with is about $2 billion. Some experts have previously called for Canada to consider new submarines, rather than extending the lives of the ones it has, but the government has said upgrading the Victoria-class ships is more "prudent." Other experts have said the country doesn't need such expensive vessels. But many other countries around the world are investing in submarine and antisubmarine fleets. NATO has specifically raised concerns about Russian submarines in the North Atlantic, while Canadian frigate commanders patrolling in the Atlantic and Mediterranean have reported more foreign submarines in recent years. "The most proliferated weapon system right now on the planet are submarines," Lloyd said. "They by themselves can impact the outcome of a battle space. And so putting a submarine into a body of water instantly changes the calculus that are currently operating in those bodies of water." Aside from upgrading its submarines, the Canadian military has started to return to its Cold War role as a leader in antisubmarine warfare in the North Atlantic by upgrading its frigates and maritime patrol planes and adding new maritime helicopters. — Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter. Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/01/22/canadian-navy-pressing-ahead-on-life-extensions-for-submarines/#.XEjDzVxKiUl

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