Fake bullets, bombs, and blood will fly at St. Albert’s public works yard next week as emergency crews train to respond to a mass shooting event.
The City of St. Albert said Dec. 2 it will hold a full-scale emergency preparedness exercise on Dec 12 in co-operation with the RCMP and several other provincial agencies — an exercise that involves drones, a helicopter, simulated gunshots, non-fiery explosions, and many emergency responders. The exercise will take place at the Jack Kraft Facility/public works yard (7 Chevigny St.) and Servus Credit Union Place.
In an email, city spokesperson Cory Sinclair said this was, to the best of his knowledge, the first time the city and the RCMP had held an exercise of this kind.
Mark Pickford, the city’s manager of emergency management, said this exercise aims to test and identify gaps in the city’s emergency response procedures and bolster co-operation between everyone involved. Exercises of this type are required every four years under the province’s Emergency Management Act.
Pickford said residents will not be able to enter the Jack Kraft Facility and the north parking lot of Servus Place during this exercise, but will still be able to use the Mike Mitchell Recycling Depot, Dodger Dog Park, and Servus Place itself.
Rogue gunman
Pickford said this exercise will simulate a mass casualty event at the Jack Kraft Facility caused by a gunman on site.
The exercise will involve some 250 people between the city, RCMP, and province, Pickford said. Some will roleplay as wounded or traumatized victims, complete with simulated blood. An RCMP officer will portray the gunman. Participants will have to treat the wounded, evacuate victims to Servus Place, rescue a hostage, and locate and neutralize the shooter, among other challenges.
Pickford said most of this exercise, including all the simulated injuries, gunfire, and explosions, will happen inside the Jack Kraft Facility.
“If you’re at the recycling centre on the 12th … you will probably see some helicopters and drones zipping around,” Pickford said, as well as a lot of police, fire, and medical personnel.
Guests at Servus Place may see police and about 20 pretend victims in the building, particularly on the second floor, he continued. Visitors to Dodger Dog Park will have to use its north gate, as the south one leading to the parking lot will be closed. Anyone around the Jack Kraft Facility should expect to hear bangs and gunshot-like noises throughout the day.
Pickford said the city will spread word about this exercise on social media and electronic signs in the coming days so people know what’s going on. Participants will discuss lessons learned from this exercise on Jan. 23, 2025.
The exercise will start at 7 a.m. and wrap up at about 5 p.m. Visit bit.ly/3ZwDDXU for details.
