19 Wing Comox will be doing a large-scale, multi-agency training exercise on Wednesday, and public access to Air Force Beach will be closed for the day.
According to an announcement from 19 Wing, the exercise will take place in and between Air Force Beach, 19 Wing Comox, 19 Wing Fitness Centre and North Island Hospital. They add all vehicles will be turned away for public safety.
They add you can expect to see smoke and emergency services on the airfield and Air Force Beach along with aircraft wreckage and people acting as casualties. The exercise is routine military and emergency services training, and 19 Wing adds it does not need to be reported to local emergency services.
Multiple local emergency responders, search and rescue and others have coordinated with 19 Wing for the exercise.
“Multi-agency training such as this ensures interoperability between the various agencies, clearer understanding of the different roles and procedures used by others, as well as a chance to learn from each other,” said 19 Wing in a statement.
“All training scenarios have been carefully prepared to ensure realism, while maintaining the safety of all involved.”