FORT SIMPSON - The Fort Simpson airport will put its emergency preparedness plan to the test this September.

Transportation officials in the village are planning a live emergency response exercise at the airport, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 15.

Scott McIntosh, the Fort Simpson airport manager, left, and Michel Lafrance, the regional superintendent of transportation, look over plans for a live emergency exercise at the airport. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The drill is being held for a number of reasons, said Michel Lafrance, the regional superintendent of transportation.

Under Transportation Canada regulations a live exercise has to be conducted every five years.

It will also be the first live exercise for Scott McIntosh, the airport manager.

Holding a live exercise is a good way to test emergency plans, said Lafrance

Representatives from a variety of organizations in the community were invited to participate in a planning meeting for the exercise on Jan. 31.

Those who will be involved include the village, the RCMP, the volunteer fire department, emergency services and the health centre.

"I find it's a good way of finding out the resources in the community," said Lafrance.

A live exercise also tests where things could go wrong in a real situation. Every emergency usually has three themes: control, coordination and communication, said Lafrance.

The control is usually good while coordination is not always as straight forward, said Lafrance.

"Where it always breaks down is communication," he said.

Communication can create a lot of frustration, said Lafrance but that's part of the game. Lafrance hasn't developed the scenario for the exercise yet, but he has an idea of what it will involve.

There will be students or Rangers dressed up and put within the fenced in perimeter of the airport.

Some dangerous goods will likely be involved, but in keeping it locally applicable, Lafrance said it won't be something as serious as nuclear waste.

On the whole the exercise will be kept simple.

That's one reason September was chosen because it's usually warm and winter exercises create more complications, said Lafrance.

During the exercise all direction will come out of the emergency coordination centre set up in McIntosh's office.

McIntosh is looking at the exercise as a good learning experience.

He won't be told the scenario ahead of time.

"I think it will be a really good exercise."

The plane crash in Trout Lake in October shows that situations like this can happen, he said.

"We get these incidents quite often," said McIntosh.