Calgary EMS in Alberta unveiled its new Emergency Medical Assistance Task Force Wednesday. (Photos by Grant Therrien)

EMAT will support, equip, and maintain 40 emergency medical personnel for a 10-day period independent of local services or infrastructure. The EMAT goal is to activate within two hours of a decision to deploy, and may be used in Calgary, the region or possibly outside Alberta.

EMAT can be deployed in the event of a temporary loss of access to health facilities, possibly due to a disease outbreak or other critical situation.

EMAT deployment missions may include:
o Responding to mass casualty incidents, or temporary loss of local ambulance service.
o Providing the medical component for CAN TF2 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR).
o Providing support during the temporary loss of access to emergency health facilities.
o Supporting Health Emergency Response Teams (HERT) in either a disaster relief or outbreak/quarantine management capacity.
o Providing support to major local events, such as the Calgary Stampede Parade, Global Fest, Red Mile, or major concerts.

Rescue workers search for survivors on the collapsed building in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, April 26, 2007.