Tuktoyaktuk (July 05/04) - Tuktoyaktuk was thrown into a state of emergency recently as officials battled a fatal plane crash and the contamination of the hamlet's water supply.

Well, not quite.

The elaborate disaster was part of a simulation organized by the territorial government to test the hamlet's emergency preparedness.

"It was a good learning experience," said deputy mayor Merven Gruben.

Gruben even had to field questions from fictitious members of the media during a post-disaster press conference.

The scenario began on the morning of June 23 with a collision between a Twin Otter and a helicopter at the Tuktoyaktuk airport. During the simulation, the helicopter plummeted into the hamlet's water reservoir, contaminating the supply.

Paramedics attended to the 20 or so crash victims -- some complete with gory make-up and fatal injuries -- while hamlet officials worked to shut off the water and warn residents.

"It was a pretty elaborate disaster," said Gruben, who helped co-ordinate efforts from the hamlet office.

"They threw in a lot of curves. But now we know what we need to improve on."

At the top of that list is communication both inside and outside the hamlet, he said. At one point, hospital officials in Inuvik were preparing the operating room for surgery because they didn't realize the disaster wasn't real, said Gruben.

"It was challenging, but all together it went better than I expected," he said.

The territorial government usually performs two or three simulations per year around the territory, said Bob Kelly, a spokesperson with the Department of Transportation.

"We would like to run more of them, but at about six months each to prepare, there simply isn't enough time," he said.

Government officials will compile a report on the simulation and present their findings to the hamlet later this week.