The Vernon Regional Airport was the scene of an imaginary plane crash Wednesday.
The training exercise saw a cross-agency response from a number of local organizations and city staff, including Vernon North Okanagan RCMP, BC Emergency Health Services and Vernon Fire Rescue Services.
“This table top exercise is a good opportunity for all the responding agencies to get together to work through the City’s Airport Emergency Response Plan,” said Curtis Linton, airport supervisor. “An incident such as a plane crash could require the involvement of all these agencies.
“These practice scenarios help familiarize all agencies with the airport protocols and they support our regulatory requirement to hold a table top exercise annually, and a major practice scenario once every four years. I think everyone comes away with a good refresher on dealing with aircraft incidents and each time we learn something new.”
For Vernon, seasonal threats of flooding and wildfires are the most pressing concerns when it comes to emergency management. Therefore, the airport exercises are conducted during the winter when flooding and fires are less likely to occur.
“Conducting table top exercises provides us with an opportunity to practice executing emergency plans together,” said deputy fire chief Alan Hofsink. “We build relationships with a number of agencies, identify gaps in emergency response plans and make adjustments in a safe environment. These are important tools in emergency management.”
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