An incident involving a mid-air collision between a plane and a helicopter led to a massive emergency response at Vancouver International Airport Tuesday.
Luckily, however, it was all just a simulation and part of a multi-agency training exercise.
The event, which included nearly 500 participants from 25 different organizations, gave an opportunity to practice emergency response plans in as realistic of a scenario as possible.
“At YVR, safety is our number one priority. We view exercises and training as an essential part of this commitment to safety by remaining prepared in the unlikely event of an incident,” said Robyn McVicker, vice president of operations and maintenance for Vancouver Airport Authority in a press release.
The mock scenario involved an emergency landing that was necessary after the crash between the helicopter and plane. The fake flight’s landing equipment was severally “damaged” which led to a fictitious crash landing at YVR. It was the simulated wreckage from the “crash” that was handled by emergency responders in the training exercise.
As well, an area was set up to simulate care for passengers and a team of volunteers played victims, passengers, family members and mock media to give everyone involved a realistic experience.
“I was pleased to see the level of coordination between all our partners and volunteers to effectively manage the simulated emergency,” McVicker said. “Hosting multi-agency training allows us to test our Emergency Management Plan in realistic conditions and helps refine our plans to incorporate the knowledge gained.”
In spite of the large involvement of crews in the exercise, airport operations were not affected.
