Bruce Power’s Nuclear Security team hosted its biggest and best Interagency Tactical Skills Exchange Competition July 22 and 23, bringing together teams from industry partners and law enforcement agencies across Ontario and New Brunswick.
The dynamic event featured head-to-head competition between teams at Bruce Power’s on-site firing range. Industry vendors were also on site showcasing the latest gear and services tailored to law enforcement and security professionals.
Bruce Power hosted the event last year with nine teams competing and the feedback was so great that the company decided to bring it back this year with an expanded field, including 14 teams and 12 vendors displaying and demonstrating the latest technology available for tactical use.
“We have front-line officers, in-service training and our highest-level of tactical and rescue units here competing alongside our nuclear security teams from New Brunswick Power, OPG and Bruce Power,” said Ken Wright. “All of the events are dynamic and competitive in nature and there’s a lot of physicality built into the activities, a lot of obstacles, with very difficult shooting platforms and targetry with all reactionary targets for both pistol and long-rifle precision shooting.”
Bruce Power noticed a lack of tactical events, especially post-COVID, put together the event to for competition and training for its Nuclear Security team, while also providing opportunities for other agencies.
“Feeback has been very positive,” Wright said. We’ve got a lot of folks who have never seen anything like this before with the competition and dynamic ranges for head-to-head team events with individual shooting events at the end of each day.
While there were winners in each day’s events, Wright said coming together in a fun and competitive format builds a lot of ties and camaraderie.
“I think we all win,” he said. “We’re building relationships, cross-functional interoperability and collective knowledge sharing through training. When everyone’s performing well in a controlled training environment, they’re ideally going to execute at a high level in a real-life situation. With these types of events, we try and introduce more physicality and activity, where the heart rate is high, similar to what you could expect in a real event, so if we can replicate some of that in a training and competition setting for our competitors, we all win.”
“We’re proud of our entire Emergency and Protective Services division and its preparedness to respond to any plausible event, even if it’s unlikely,” said Jeff Steven, Bruce Power’s Chief Security Officer and Head of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “We’re also proud of our on-site facilities and having the opportunity to share them with outside agencies in a competition setting is a great advantage for everyone.”
Congratulations to OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit for earning the top overall team, and to Bruce Power Nuclear Security Team 1 (Dom Veroni, Ben Stephenson, Tyler Reiner, Lucas Garcia and James Vandusen) for being recognized as the top Nuclear Team, and third place overall.
Overall standings:
- OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit -Team 2
- Halton Regional Police Tactics and Rescue Unit
- Bruce Power Nuclear Security Team 1
- Guelph Regional Police Tactics and Rescue Unit – Team 2
- Bruce Power Nuclear Security Team 2
- OPP In-Service Training
- Guelph Regional Police Tactics & Rescue Unit
- OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit – Team 1
- OPG Nuclear Security
- Peel Regional Police Tactics and Rescue Unit
- OPP ERT West
- New Brunswick Power Nuclear Security Team
- Hanover Police, Toronto Police, OPP In-Service Training (mixed team)
- Chatham-Kent Tactics and Rescue Unit (participated in only one day)
About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is an electricity company based in Bruce County, Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory, Ontario. We are powered by our people. Our 4,200 employees are the foundation of our accomplishments and are proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable nuclear power to families and businesses across the province and cancer-fighting medical isotopes around the world. Bruce Power has worked hard to build strong roots in Ontario and is committed to protecting the environment and supporting the communities in which we live. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is a Canadian-owned partnership of TC Energy, OMERS, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of United Professionals. Learn more at www.brucepower.com and follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.