Town of Banff

Test of Emergency Response Plans

April 25, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Town, CPR, Parks, RCMP and Mineral Springs Hospital to test emergency response plans through mock disaster on May 10

Banff, AB – Beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 10, officials from the Town of Banff, Mineral Springs Hospital, Parks Canada, Canadian Pacific Railway and the Banff RCMP Detachment will participate in a mock disaster that will put the Town’s Emergency Operation Centre to work. This exercise will run until early afternoon in an effort to practice the Town and stakeholder’s emergency plans in a true to life test scenario.

“We want to be proactive,” says deputy Fire Chief and Town of Banff EOC coordinator Silvio Adamo. “This is a great opportunity for us to test the plans participants have in place to deal with situations that can affect public safety in our community. On May 10 the disaster response teams from each organization will come together to test their emergency response plans and the Town’s Municipal Emergency Plan.”

Although participants will treat this situation as a real event, it’s important to remind the community and media that this is just a simulation. The simulation will affect the Norquay entry point to the Town of Banff and it will involve a school bus, the area around the CPR tracks and the Banff Recreation Centre.

This demonstration exercise has been planned as part of an emergency response-training course to be held at the Banff Centre.  Over 200 delegates attending the course will have the opportunity to watch the simulation unfold at the Banff Recreation Centre – that’s where the Emergency Operations Centre will be set-up. Planning for this session has been underway since 2005.

- 30 -

For Information:
Michelle Gurney                                          Sgt. Patrick Webb
Communications Manager, Town of Banff       RCMP Media
403.762.1207                                              403.699.2418

Marjorie Huculak
Media Relations Manager, Parks Canada
403.7621526

Ed Greenberg
Media Relations Manager, CPR
403.540.8106