Armed Forces’ search-and-rescue training held in Prince Edward County

Over 200 military personnel took part in a mock disaster at CFB Trenton’s Mountainview airfield in Prince Edward County on Monday.

The mock exercise involved two destroyed planes, theoretically, somewhere in Canada’s far north.

In the scenario, soldiers worked to save as many as 40 people injured or killed in a two-plane collision.

Commanding officer Lt.-Col. Leighton James said the practice is vital as soldiers can be called on at any time to respond to emergencies anywhere in the country.

“Our country is vast. How do you get people out there? How do you get them to the scene? How do you respond in that situation when you’re trying to triage individuals?”

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Assessing casualties and organizing their care falls to medical boss Master-Cpl. Jon Pothier.

“Account for everybody is the biggest thing, and obviously, we’re going to the treatments and the prioritizing of who is getting extracted first and on what aircraft and stuff like that.”

James says timing and teamwork are critical to success and exercises like this help iron out any potential issues.

“This opportunity allows us to collaborate with units we wouldn’t normally collaborate with. It allows us to hone our skills.”

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Experience and skills which could mean the difference between life and death.