Fort Smith to test evacuation plan
Major exercise to coincide with Operation Nanook
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, June 1, 2015
THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
The Town of Fort Smith plans to practise its evacuation plan for the first time this summer.
And that's because Operation Nanook - the Canadian Armed Forces annual sovereignty exercise in the North - will be paying a visit to Fort Smith in August and military personnel will participate in the one-day evacuation exercise.
"We've never, ever practised our emergency measures plan for an evacuation," said Coun. Don Webb, who created the evacuation plan in 1999 and is the town council's representative for Operation Nanook.
"We've never done a registration of people. We've never actually moved people. So this is a chance now to see if our plan will meet the guidelines that are necessary and what we want to achieve. So we're going to actually practise it."
Webb explained one area of town - about 250 people - will be evacuated.
Under the scenario, they will be registered, collected in vehicles, evacuated out of town a short distance and then brought back.
Webb said the military personnel in town for Operation Nanook will be doing a little bit of everything, including providing security with the RCMP in the evacuated section of the community.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Armed Forces' Joint Task Force North in Yellowknife confirmed that military personnel will be participating in the town's evacuation exercise.
However, the spokesperson said details of that participation have not yet been finalized.
Webb participated in meetings in March about Operation Nanook with military officials and the GNWT.
"They were going to definitely be here," he said of Operation Nanook.
"But the situation was what level was the Town of Fort Smith going to get involved and what did we want to achieve from it, what did we want to learn and what do we get out of it?"
The councillor said the scenario of a wildfire and evacuation evolved from there.
"It definitely is a result of the fire season last year," he said of the decision to test the town's evacuation plan.
Webb said the scenario is going to be very realistic.
"It's a living scenario," he said. "So it's going to be where you need help, how you need help and where the military is capable and wants to fit into that."
The town has already begun to let residents know about the upcoming exercise by distributing information at a recent trade show.
"We don't want any panic in town," said Webb. "We want to make sure everybody is aware of things."
The town will be encouraging residents' participation, which will be voluntary.
As the exercise gets closer, more information will be released.
"Then we'll go door to door and explain the situation and ask them for their help and tell them what we want to do and accomplish," said Webb, adding he is hoping the message will be well-received and there will be a big buy-in by residents. The councillor said it's a wonderful opportunity for the town.
"It's going to be inconveniencing for some people, but this is how we really learn, and nobody wants to have a Slave Lake," he said, referring to a wildfire that swept into the Alberta town in 2011.
Webb noted the exercise will take place during a normal work day.
"We can't disrupt all of that," he said, noting services like the fire department and the ambulance will still be available.
Webb noted about 80 military personnel are expected in Fort Smith for Operation Nanook, and they will start arriving on Aug. 22.
They are expected to be in town for a week.
Operation Nanook takes place annually in several locations across the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut. It is the largest sovereignty operation in Canada's North.
Operation Nanook has been conducted annually since 2007.
