Recovery - DART in Hestia and Joint Task Force Haiti
Fact Sheet
Last updated March 9 2010 (Final Update)
- After reaching an effective strength of 2,000 soldiers, sailors and air force personnel, Joint Task Force Haiti has begun its progressive withdrawal
- CF members currently deployed in Haiti: 1,583
- Canadian citizens repatriated to date by CF airlift: 4,618
- Water processed to date: 2,795,278 litres
- Patients seen to date at Role 1 clinics and Role 2 hospital: more than 16,000
- Patients seen to date at Village Medical Outreach clinics: 5,558
In Léogâne
Léogâne is a municipal district with a population of 130,000 located about 30 km west of Port-au-Prince, very close to the epicentre of the earthquake. It is estimated that close to 90 percent of city infrastructure has been damaged. Most of the Canadian Forces humanitarian effort is focussed on Léogâne.
3 R22eR Battalion Group
Comprising almost 500 soldiers, the Battalion Group is made up of two companies of infantry from the 3rd Battalion Royal 22e Régiment, one company of sappers from 5 Combat Engineer Regiment, and one support company. To maximize its ability to help people in distress, the unit rapidly established links with other national contingents, local authorities and non-governmental organizations working in the area. During its first days on the ground, the Battalion Group worked to prepare the ground for the construction of the Role 2 hospital, and helped with the evacuation of many expatriate Canadians. The Battalion Group handles a wide range of tasks, including:
- Co-ordination of and security for the distribution of humanitarian aid with partners including U.N. organizations and non-governmental groups at sites where crowds of more than 3,000 people are often gathered;
- Distribution of humanitarian aid by helicopter in mountainous areas;
- Working with local authorities to organize a cash-for-work program to employ local residents in projects to improve infrastructure and public services;
- Execution of quick-impact projects such as removing debris and digging rainwater drainage canals;
- With HMCS Athabaskan: Providing area security in co-operation with the Police nationale haïtienne;
- Production of safe drinking water;
- Organizing mobile medical clinics and delivering health care services to isolated communities;
- Excavation of latrines and various construction tasks in camps for internally displaced people; and
- Construction of a government centre and a crisis centre at Léogâne City Hall.
Field hospital
With more than 100 staff, the Role 2 field hospital offers two operating rooms, 100 beds, a pharmacy, a laboratory, a radiology section, and dental services. The first patients were admitted on 29 January 2010. As part of transition planning, the hospital staff are also assessing the capabilities of medical facilities in Léogâne and Jacmel.
HMCS Athabaskan
A destroyer from the Atlantic fleet, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Athabaskan has a crew of 274, including a CH-124 Sea King helicopter detachment. The ship’s company offers a wide range of services both at sea and on land.
- Working parties providing labour and security services in support of:
- Engineers clearing debris and building accommodations and latrines;
- Civilian aid agencies distributing food and delivering health care services; and
- Projects to repair and improve orphanage facilities.
- Helicopter airlift to transport passengers, humanitarian aid supplies and tanks of potable water; and
- Sealift from Kingston, Jamaica to Léogâne to ensure rapid transport of the land contingent.
In Jacmel
The earthquake destroyed 20 to 30 percent of all structures in Jacmel, a city of 40,000 tucked into the southern coast of Haiti. Jacmel is difficult to reach by ground transport, as the quake damaged the road system extensively. Canada rapidly deployed the frigate HMCS Halifax, the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), and specialized groups to work on opening and operating the local airport.
After making a significant contribution to re-establishing living conditions in the area, HMCS Halifaxdeparted on 20 February 2010.
Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)
With just over 200 members who maintain a high state of readiness, the DART is Canada’s rapid-response capability for emergencies of all kinds. Less than 24 hours after the earthquake, the reconnaissance element was already in Haiti to identify where the DART would make the greatest positive impact on the population. The DART has three main capabilities:
- Engineers
- Production of safe drinking water;
- Street clearance and demolition of unstable structures in co-operation with Jacmel civic authorities;
- Excavation and construction of latrines at orphanages and camps for internally displaced people;
- Rubble clearance and temporary repairs on Route 204 between Jacmel and Léogâne
- Medical Platoon
- Dispatch of mobile medical teams to hold Village Medical Outreach clinics in isolated communities;
- Delivery of basic health care services to the people of Jacmel at a Role 1 clinic;
- Defence & Security Platoon
- Provision of security for DART operations; and
- Assisted the U.N. in providing security at the Pinchinat camp where the World Food Program feeds about 4,000 people per day.
In Port-au-Prince
The command team, support element and most of the air component are based at the international airport in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.
Air Component
The air component of Joint Task Force Haiti comprises 175 personnel working at two locations.
- Operations at Jacmel Airport:
- Unloading shipments of humanitarian aid and military equipment from Canadian and U.S. aircraft
- In co-operation with Jacmel Airport Authority: air traffic control, ground control and co-ordination of air operations
- In co-operation with DART: security and light engineering tasks, especially at Jacmel Airfield
- Joint Task Force Haiti aircraft
- 6 CH-146 Griffon tactical helicopters — the “Quebec Express”
- Current priorities:
- Airlift of humanitarian aid supplies and equipment
- Medical evacuation
- Passenger airlift
- Basic instruction of Haitian airport in administration, fire safety, rescue techniques and movement of aircraft on the ramp; and
- In co-operation with Jacmel Airport Authority: Implementation of projects to improve and renovate airport facilities.
Joint Task Force Support Element
The support element delivers the full range of operational logistics services, including provision of all kinds of materiel, maintenance, military police, and management of all the materiel and personnel movements involved in deploying the task force. A rapid, short-notice deployment such as this mission brings special logistics challenges, especially because Haiti has so few local services to offer. The support element comprises about 150 members, most of them coming from 5 Service Battalion in Valcartier, Quebec.
Joint Task Force Haiti Headquarters
The headquarters of Joint Task Force Haiti is responsible for co-ordinating the work of the task force with its partners, and comprises more than 200 CF members with expertise in areas such as signals, mapping, human resources administration, finance, and co-ordination of operations. Linked to the Embassy of Canada in Haiti, the headquarters is at the heart of the whole-of-government approach Canada has taken in this country, with representatives of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT). The headquarters also maintains links to many organizations, such as the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, and participates in round tables to co-ordinate humanitarian aid in its area of responsibility.
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CIDA - Canadian Inernational Development Agency
