{"id":14,"date":"2022-03-22T12:56:30","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T12:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/?page_id=14"},"modified":"2025-07-17T18:22:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T18:22:27","slug":"aboutus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;About Us&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;282&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;History of EDS&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The Salvation Army\u2019s Emergency Disaster Services program began in Canada in 1917 when two ships collided in Halifax Harbour, known as the Halifax Explosion. The explosion and subsequent tsunami-like wave killed more than 1600 people and injured thousands more. The Salvation Army dispatched personnel from across the country and Newfoundland to assist with relief efforts, providing food, clothing, and emotional and spiritual care. <em>\u201cWe do not know how we would have gotten along without them<\/em>, wrote R.T. MacIlreith, Chairman of the Relief Committee.<u><\/u><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;Where We Are Now&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]Today, The Salvation Army\u2019s Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) has grown into an international network involving thousands of trained personnel worldwide,<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/39\/files\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/atlantic-exercise-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>including many volunteers. Salvation Army EDS personnel respond to incidents of various sizes and scopes. In following with its holistic ministry, the Army provides supports that meet the immediate, as well as long-term, physical, emotional and spiritual needs of disaster survivors and responders.<\/p>\n<p>The frequency and impact of hazards is on the rise worldwide. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, forest fires, tornadoes, ice storms and severe storms are happening more often than ever before. The Red Shield continues to be a symbol of hope and compassion; of immediate aid, psychosocial and spiritual support to individuals and families whose lives have been disrupted or shattered by forces beyond their control.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;About Us&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;282&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;History of EDS&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The Salvation Army\u2019s Emergency Disaster Services program began in Canada in 1917 when two ships collided in Halifax Harbour, known as the Halifax Explosion. The explosion and subsequent tsunami-like wave killed more than 1600 people and injured thousands more. The Salvation Army&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/\">&#91;&hellip;&#93; <\/a><\/p>\n<div class='heateor_sss_sharing_container heateor_sss_vertical_sharing heateor_sss_bottom_sharing' style='width:44px;left: -10px;top: 100px;-webkit-box-shadow:none;box-shadow:none;' data-heateor-sss-href='https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14'><div class=\"heateor_sss_sharing_ul\"><a aria-label=\"Facebook\" class=\"heateor_sss_facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsalvationarmy.ca%2Feds%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F14\" title=\"Facebook\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg\" style=\"background-color:#0765FE;width:40px;height:40px;margin:0;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 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\/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About Us - Emergency Disaster Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;About Us&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;282&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;History of EDS&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The Salvation Army\u2019s Emergency Disaster Services program began in Canada in 1917 when two ships collided in Halifax Harbour, known as the Halifax Explosion. The explosion and subsequent tsunami-like wave killed more than 1600 people and injured thousands more. The Salvation Army&nbsp; &#091;&hellip;&#093;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Emergency Disaster Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-17T18:22:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/39\/files\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/atlantic-exercise-225x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/\",\"name\":\"About Us - Emergency Disaster Services\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/39\/files\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/atlantic-exercise-225x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-03-22T12:56:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-17T18:22:27+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/39\/files\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/atlantic-exercise.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/39\/files\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/atlantic-exercise.jpg\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":2048},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Emergency Disaster Services\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"About Us\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/\",\"name\":\"Emergency Disaster Services\",\"description\":\"Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"About Us - Emergency Disaster Services","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/eds\/home\/aboutus\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"About Us - Emergency Disaster Services","og_description":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;About Us&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;282&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;History of EDS&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The Salvation Army\u2019s Emergency Disaster Services program began in Canada in 1917 when two ships collided in Halifax Harbour, known as the Halifax Explosion. 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