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Preparing for Operation Unity


Left: Neil Drachenberg, right: Jason Brolund


Sam Samaddar, Airport Director


Canada legislated requirements


  agency capabilities and operational plans


  regional and provincial cooperating/ assisting agencies


  regional and provincial governments


  record to all participating agencies


Due to the large scope of this event a consultant group that specializes in clinically relevant disaster and emergency response training were engaged to provide scenario development, logistical preparation and evaluation support during the exercise.


To test the participant’s response plans and help prepare for the live exercise the consultant hosted a tabletop exercise (a non-real time walkthrough of the scenario) on May 30th


at the


University of British Columbia – Okanagan (UBCO) campus. This event was deemed a great success as it served as a way to demonstrate to participants the need to constantly update and test


their emergency planning, provide a training opportunity and to develop momentum for the live exercise scenario on September 13.


Those agencies not directly participating were invited to observe the live exercise at observation locations set up for guests and VIP’s. The media was provided with enhanced access to allow them to cover the story and see the details up close so they could understand the intricacies of responding to and managing emergencies.


The entire event was documented via photography and video. Exercise observers and umpires were assigned to evaluate the exercise as it was ongoing.


The exercise concluded with a major media conference (simulated) at the UBCO campus. Following the conclusion of the exercise, a debrief session took place at the University for all parties and an after-action report was prepared and delivered to document the successes and lessons learned from the exercise.


The purpose of conducting a disaster exercise is to ensure a state of readiness in the event the unexpected happens to ensure that the passengers, crew and people on the ground are given the best possible response by all agencies providing emergency services to the public.


Operation Unity 2012 represents the largest undertaking of its kind in the Okanagan to put into practice and test the effectiveness of the overall community response plan in the event of an aircraft accident on the airport. The exercise had approximately 150 participants and tested all aspects of the response plan from the initial response, to transporting passengers to the hospital, to evaluating the communications and interaction between agencies.


Exercise Operation Unity 2012 – Joint Coordinators


Neil Drachenberg, Manager - Airport Safety, Security & Emergency Preparedness Jason Brolund,


Deputy Fire Chief Kelowna Fire Department SPRING 2012 | 5


The level of engagement by all agencies in preparation for this exercise has been very gratifying and the exercise coordinators of Neil Drachenberg from Kelowna International Airport and Jason Brolund from the Kelowna Fire Department deserve a lot of credit! The lessons learned from the exercise will assist in training and refining the community’s response plan and ensure that should an incident occur the public are given a highly proficient and coordinated emergency response.


Sam Samaddar, Airport Director


Darren Hull


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