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DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE - Organizations in Fort Providence are looking at the recent live emergency exercise held in the hamlet as a learning experience.

The exercise took place at the community's airport on Sept. 17. The scenario involved a Cessna 206 that crashed into a pick-up truck on the runway while the plane was coming in for a landing. Responding agencies included the hamlet, the RCMP, the Fort Providence Fire Department, Deh Cho Health and Social Services both in the community and the region, the Departments of Transportation and Municipal and Community Affairs.

Students who acted as mock victims during the live emergency exercise wait in the back of the Fort Providence Fire Department's rescue truck. Victims include, from left, front row: Lalitha Nadli, Shiana Sabourin and Roland Nadli; back row: Lynette Sabourin and Destiny Thom. - photos courtesy of the Department of Transportation

"All in all it went quite well," said Kelly O'Connor, the regional airport manager for Hay River and Fort Providence.

This was the first time a live exercise has been held in the hamlet.

In the past small communities with airports held tabletop exercises where emergencies were only discussed. New regulations from Transport Canada that come into effect at the end of November, however, will require live exercises be held once every four years at every certified airport, O'Connor said.

Participants in Fort Providence responded well considering this was their first experience with the exercise, he said.

The objective of the exercise was to test the community's ability to respond to an airport accident and then build on that base. The exercise didn't uncover any critical problems with the response, said O'Connor.

No exercise is ever done perfectly, however, and a report that's being complied will provide suggestions for areas that can be improved, he said.

One area to be addressed immediately is communication.

Going into the exercise the hamlet knew communication would be a problem, said Susan Christie, senior administrative officer for the hamlet.

Various groups in the hamlet have radios but they don't all use the same channel or system, Christie said. The Department of Transportation has now set aside funds to purchase a new radio system for the community to address the problem.

Participating in the exercise was actually fun, said Christie.

"We all took it seriously of course but it was something different," she said.

From the hamlet's perspective the exercise was a learning experience and something to build on, Christie said. Following the exercise the hamlet plans to hold a meeting later in the fall to update the community's emergency plan.

The Fort Providence Fire Department is satisfied with their performance but also view the exercise as something to learn from. Seven members of the department participated in the exercise.

"I think we took care of most of the situation very well," said Andy Sapp, the fire chief.

When the department arrived on the scene members assessed the situation and cared of the victims on the ground. Nineteen students from Deh Gah school played the parts of the 10 victims as well as concerned family members and the media.

Sapp said he found the exercise a bit stressful because it was his first and because he had extra responsibilities. In addition to being the fire chief and directing the firefighters, Sapp was also the incident commander in charge of the site.

In an emergency situation you need to look at the big picture in the beginning instead of focusing on particular details but that can be hard to do while under pressure, he said.

Members of the department, himself included, learned a lot about the official steps that are suppose to be taken during the response, Sapp said. During this exercise the department reached the desired result but didn't always follow the right steps.

"Now that we've got this one done it's something to build on and the next one will be a lot better," said Sapp.