Emergency response agencies held an active shooter lock-down drill at 22 Wing last Friday to help prepare in case of a potential emergency. Members from the North Bay Police, the Ontario Provincial Polices, the K-9 unit, the Emergency Response Team and North Bay Paramedic Services took part. The exercise was designed to test the base’s ability to handle a potential threat to personnel, infrastructure and operations and ensure cooperation between different agencies and the 22 Military Police Flight.
In recent years, real-world events in schools, bases, and other public areas throughout North America and have been impacted by active shooters. As a result, the Canadian Armed Forces has trained and verified their lockdown, hold-and-secure procedures.
Acting 22 Wing Commander Lieutenant Colonel, Mark Lachapelle says complex training scenarios ensure the safety of the defence community, and the residents North Bay. He says through their robust lessons learned at 22 Wing, they are able to identify potential problems, refine their plans and procedures to verify that they can deal with the threat and ensure people’s safety. Police Chief Shawn Devine says training together builds on the strength of these partnerships and helps keep their skills sharp in preparation for a real threat that would require a joint response.
