Residents and visitors of Sooke should not be alarmed if they see large swaths of emergency responders in the area this weekend.
Emergency crews are conducting mass casualty training at Edward Milne Community School on Sunday.
The training will involve paramedics, firefighters, police, public health officials and other emergency response teams and will take place between 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The district says the training will replicate an incident that requires a dynamic response – such as triaging victims and providing medical assistance – and that will test coordination between various departments.
“Through this simulation, all participating entities are given an opportunity to identify areas for improvement and strengthen their emergency response strategies,” said the district in a release Thursday.
“The exercise also serves as a platform for fostering collaboration and interdisciplinary coordination among different agencies involved in emergency management.”
The municipality says it’s grateful for the patience of community members during the training and for everyone involved.
“By conducting such training scenarios, we can better equip ourselves to handle any potential emergencies that may arise,” said the district.
Recently, in October, students helped hospital staff train for a mass casualty event in Victoria by posing as victims of a serious bus crash.
“When we are walking through an exercise like this, we are trying to be as real as possible to simulate the emotions, the response, coping with family members, as well as the victims of an incident,” said Gillian Kozinka, executive director at Island Health during the ‘Code Orange’ training on Oct. 20.
READ MORE: Students and hospital staff train for mass casualty event at Vic General
With files from CHEK’s Oli Herrera
Adam Chan
