On Oct. 13, 1972, the then-Town of St. Albert staged an emergency drill for first responders: the explosion of the St. Albert Arena.
“No, they are not really going to explode the Arena but for the purposes of this exercise, it will be assumed that a major explosion has occurred in the Arena and that about 40 people have been injured,” reads a notice published by the Town in that week's edition under the headline “Town Arena to Explode.”
“The exercise is part of the Town's policy to ensure that in the event of a real emergency, all the concerned agencies in Town and the Hospital would be able to quickly provide the services required,” the notice continues.
Besides the 40 or so high school student volunteers the town enlisted to take part in the exercise, the town also invited residents to take part, especially those who had station wagons or pick up trucks.
“You could be an ambulance driver for a few minutes,” the Town wrote. “Sorry, no sirens provided, but you will get V.I.P treatment from our local RCM Police Department (sic).”
Past issues of the Gazette, dating as far back as Jan. 1, 1949, are available to view online thanks to the University of Alberta's Peel's Prairie Provinces archive.
