The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently tested emergency response capabilities at one of the busiest crossings between the US and Canada, Blue Water Bridge. The experiment, which marked the fourth in a series of cross-border Canada-US Enhanced Resiliency Experiments (CAUSE), took place between April 26 to April 28 along the border of Michigan and Ontario.
CAUSE IV is a cooperative effort between DHS S&T, Defence Research and Development Canada’s Centre for Security Science, and Public Safety Canada, as well as various partnerships with multiple provincial, municipal, and non-governmental organizations.
CAUSE IV followed the successes of CAUSE III, which was completed in the fall of 2014. The goal of CAUSE IV is to reinforce the relationships supporting the US-Canadian Beyond the Border Action Plan, and to test the current capabilities and limitations of emergency response technology and protocols across the US-Canada border.
The public areas of Port Huron, Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario experienced an increased presence of emergency response personnel, equipment, and vehicles, as DHS and its Canadian partners tested cross-border broadband and wireless networks, electrocardiogram tracing, live video, information sharing, and overall situational awareness.
