Nanook exercise turns real for 8 Wing personnel.

CFB Trenton — The 30 members of 8 Wing participating in Operation Nanook were on-scene in Resolute Bay, Nunavut when First Air Flight 6560 crashed near the remote northern community, claiming the lives of 12 people.

Personnel from 8 Air Communications and Control Sqn., 429 Transport Sqn. and their C-17 Globemaster aircraft, 436 Transport and Rescue Sqn. and a C-130 Hercules, and personnel from the Canadian Forces Land Advance Warfare Centre joined hundreds from the navy, military, and special forces Aug. 4 to train in the Arctic. The training operation was scheduled to be complete last Friday.

Op Nanook is a two-part operation. The first being a sovereignty and presence patrolling operation employing the Canadian Forces in the air, on land and at sea. That segment of the operation was conducted from Aug. 4 to 20 on Cornwallis Island and at sea in Davis Strait, Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound. It also included the participation of "international partners" from the United States and Denmark.

The second part of Nanook is where a simulated major air disaster exercise became reality when a Boeing 737 and its 15 passengers crashed a few kilometres from the CF northern base in Resolute Bay Aug. 20. Members from 438 Tactical Helicopter Sqn. from St. Hubert, Que and their CH-146 Griffon helicopter responded, confirmed Daniel Blouin, a civilian working as public affairs officer for Operation Nanook in Resolute Bay.

"Men and women in uniform, including 15 medical personnel, with two Griffon helicopters and one Sea King helicopter, were first on the scene, extinguishing fires along with Resolute airport firefighters and searching for and providing aid to the passengers and crew of the downed 737," stated the Department of National Defence. "The survivors (three) were later transported to Iqaluit aboard a C-17 Globemaster."

"Activities for the fourth phase of the operation did get suspended immediately after the crash of the boeing, but things are back to normal this week as the fourth phase of the operation has been completed Monday at 1 p.m.," said Lt.-Cmdr. Albert Wong, the senior public affairs officer for Operation Nanook. "We are now in the fifth and last phase of the operation which involves supporting the RCMP and the Transport Safety Board of Canada during their investigation of the real crash and support recovery efforts."

Source:  http://www.trentonian.ca