Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 16/02) - Plane crashes, power failures in -40 degree weather and raging infernos.

They are things no one likes to think about, but thankfully there are people behind the scenes preparing for just such disasters.

In a disaster decisions have to be made quickly to help save lives and, sometimes more importantly, co-ordinate people and information.

Last week, the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority (YKHSSA) engaged in a three-day emergency training conference.

Sally Pollock, a trainer from the B.C. Justice Institute, conducted the training that focused on setting up reception areas, managing group lodging and co-ordinating walk in volunteers.

"It's very important to be ready," said Heather Leslie, the emergency co-ordinator for YKHSSA.

"Training helps us to become organized and it gives us confidence to respond to a disaster."

Ideally no one wants to have to put a an emergency response plan to a real test but when that is unavoidable it provides a tremendous learning experience.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Yellowknife along with the rest of North America was placed on high alert following the terrorist attacks in the U.S..

That event called Yellowknife's emergency response plan into action.

"Our services were viewed very positively," said Leslie, who added it gave them a chance to critique the effectiveness of their plan.

"Any time you have a response you are spending time debriefing and you are going to find the things that need improvement or worked well."

The last time YKHSSA held emergency training was two years ago.

"We certainly try to do it as often as we can," said Leslie.

"The training helps staff understand what the nature of our job is and understand their part in the plan."

One day, Leslie said, the YKHSSA would like to run a mock disaster, but right now that is not within their capability because they are not a large enough organization.