More than a hundred volunteers joined emergency officials at Toronto Pearson Airport on Saturday night to act out a large-scale explosion drill.
Each year, the airport holds a different large-scale emergency drill meant to test its plans and procedures and identify any shortfalls and gaps in its response. This year’s drill saw over 300 people come together in Terminal 1 to act out a real-time response to the simulated bomb threat.
Saturday’s drill posed no threat to passengers (or their flight schedules), but its realistic portrayal saw hours of heightened activity at the airport overnight.
Here’s more video from Toronto Pearson’s full-scale emergency exercise.
First responders and airport officials are simulating the real-time response to an explosion in Terminal 1. ⁰⁰There is no threat to public safety. #YYZEmergEX pic.twitter.com/KhEcuVxJfu
— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) June 9, 2024
To achieve the most realistic effect possible, some volunteers even had moulage or mock injury make-up applied.
“Safety is our top priority, and we are continually looking for ways to improve our response to potential emergencies at the airport,” Khalil Lamrabet, Toronto Pearson’s Interim Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commerical Officer said in a release issued after the exercise.
“These simulated exercises underscore our commitment to emergency preparedness and provide us and our partners the opportunity to test all aspects of our joint response. Each year, we take away valuable lessons from this event to refine our protocols and procedures,” Lamrabet said.
As required by the federal government, the airport holds a large-scale emergency drill annually. Last year, over 300 volunteers came together in a simulated plane crash. The year before that saw approximately 300 participants stage a protest in front of one of the terminals.
