Military, First Responders To Conduct Joint Training Exercise In Comox Valley This Week

19 Wing Comox will be conducting a large-scale multi-agency emergency training exercise on Wednesday.

The exercise will take place in and between several locations, including Air Force Beach, 19 Wing Comox, 19 Wing Fitness Centre, and North Island Hospital.

Before and during the training, members of the public can expect to see smoke and emergency services present on the airfield and Air Force beach, as well as aircraft wreckage, which will be set up in advance of the simulation.

Further, there will be people acting as casualties in the exercise crash sites. Residents are reminded that these activities are routine military and emergency services training, and there is no need to report them to 19 Wing Comox or local emergency services.

For safety and security of the public and exercise participants, Air Force Beach will be closed to the public - all vehicles and pedestrians will be turned away during the exercise tomorrow.

This large-scale exercise was co-designed with the Comox Valley Emergency Program, who will be coordinating the participation of the following agencies:

Courtenay RCMP

Courtenay Fire Rescue

Comox Fire Rescue

North Island 911

Campbell River Fire Dispatch

Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Station 60

Comox Valley Airport Commission

BC Transit

Comox Valley Hospital

Island Health

Health Emergency Management BC

BC Ambulance Service

St. John Ambulance First Aid

Elevated First Aid and Casualty Simulation

Disaster First Aid Stations.

There will also be observers from the Regional District of Nanaimo, Powell River Airport, Campbell River Airport, Courtenay Air Park, Union Bay Fire Rescue, and Oyster River Fire Rescue.

In a release, Public Relations Officer Captain Christine MacNeil says multi-agency training such as this ensures a clearer understanding of the different roles and procedures used by others, as well as a chance to learn from each other.