Video footage shows dramatic rescue of family from GTA park

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Toronto police have released video of the heartbreaking rescue of a family, including a one-year-old girl, from Rouge National Park earlier this month.

In a press release issued Friday evening, police said officers from the Air Support Unit were called to assist 42 Division with a “check address” call after a couple and their 1-year-old daughter “became disoriented in dense bush while hiking near a creek” in the national park.

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The police said air support responded to Steeles Ave.-E.-Reesor Rd. area of ​​Markham and deployed a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) to begin the search.

Dispatch advised the missing family to use the What3Words app, a free navigation tool that assigns three-word addresses and allows users to find, share and navigate to precise locations.

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Police said RPAS quickly located the family in the dense bush of the 79.1 square kilometer park, the largest of its kind in North America, covering parts of Toronto, Markham, Pickering and Uxbridge.

“Air support officers initially attempted to extract the family using verbal instructions,” police said in a Friday news release, “but the rugged terrain made it unsafe for them to travel alone with a small child. Officers wearing 42nd Division uniforms then entered extremely dense vegetation to assist with the rescue.”

OPP helicopter deployed

Air support officers used OPP helicopter The crew includes a Toronto Police tactical flight officer working in coordination with the RPAS to provide direction to the officers.

Using aerial imagery and precise digital coordinates, officers reached the family and escorted everyone outside without further incident.

The rescue can be seen in nearly four minutes of footage.

“This incident highlights how Toronto Police are modernizing their response to calls for service by combining drones, air support and digital mapping tools to improve safety, speed and results for both the public and officers,” Toronto Police said.

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