Canadian Forces simulate aircraft crash in Cochrane area

Canadian Forces members from across Ontario are training in the near Cochrane, Kapuskasing and Hearst, Ontario, from February 14 to 26.

The exercise is a part of the Trillium Response series, which are designed to address a range of scenarios under varying environmental conditions.

Each year, Joint Task Force (Central) (JTFC), along with its partner government agencies, conducts a major field training exercise in the province of Ontario to test its ability to provide military assistance to civil authorities.

This year’s purpose is simulating a large aircraft crash near Mistango Lake which is approximately 51km east of Cochrane, and a smaller crash near Constance Lake, about 256km west of Cochrane.

Approximately 600 regular and reserve force soldiers, including Canadian Rangers, from the greater Toronto area, Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, and Ontario-based air force squadrons will deploy in order to gain a better understanding of operations in a northern environment during the winter months.

Military aircraft from air force squadrons based in Ontario will deliver emergency supplies and rescue personnel, and will evacuate simulated casualties to the Cochrane and Hearst airports for transfer by ground ambulances to local hospitals. No actual aircraft were crashed as part of the exercise.

Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Stephen Hill, head of Joint Task Force Central (JTFC) Air component Coordination Element shared his thoughts on the exercise.

“This year it is a simulated major air disaster, where an aircraft crashed in the woods and there were some survivors. As it turned out in this scenario, it was not a security problem, it was simply a pilot error or malfunction,” he said. “The soldiers that you see out here are providing site security for the crash site.”

He continued explained the air force’s role in the exercise.

“Our job here in the Air Force is to support that army in any way we can,” he said. “Yesterday the air drop activity occurred in the morning and afternoon, which was the immediate reaction phase of the crash. Now we are in the sustainment phase, where we extracting the people and bring them to the local area hospitals.”

The initial crash occurred on Sunday February 17, where the first indication of a problem was made.

“We are simulated in a remote site that is not accessible by road. The owner of the airline contacted the Joint rescue coordination centre in Trenton Ontario and they launched the search and rescue aircraft,” LCol. Stephen Hill said. “The second phase is when the army comes in to help secure the site and provide whatever assistance is necessary, until we get the people safely out. The final phase is the investigation with the transportation safety board and the OPP to determine what happened, and then the cleanup phase after it.”

LCol. Stephen Hill stressed the importance is teamwork.

“That’s the critical piece of this,” he said. “This is not just a military exercise, whole-of-government type of exercise. It’s very important for us to work with other partners because you never know when we may have to work together in the future.”

Brig.-Gen. Fred Lewis, Commander JTFC shared his thoughts on the annual exercise.

“Exercise Trillium Response 2012 is an important way to practice winter skills under difficult conditions while preparing for domestic operations in the North,” Brig.-Gen. Fred Lewis said. “The men and women of the Canadian Forces (CF) are ready to assist fellow Canadians with rapid response when needed.”

Canada Command is the CF formation responsible for the conduct of all routine and contingency domestic operations and is the CF operational authority for SAR.

JTFC is the Canada Command Regional Joint Task Force responsible for the conduct of all routine and contingency domestic operations in Ontario.

When requested, the CF will provide military assistance to civil authorities in order to protect and defend Canada and to keep Canadians safe. At any one time approximately 10,000 skilled and dedicated regular and reserve force personnel are on high readiness to respond to calls for assistance and are prepared to operate in austere locations across a full range of environments.

The Department of National Defence is the lead agency responsible for the overall effective operation of the coordinated aeronautical and maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) system in Canada, and for the provision of all aeronautical SAR assets in response to both aeronautical and maritime SAR incidents.

The CF mandate in response to a major air disaster falls within the primary mandate for aeronautical SAR response and comprises detection, alerting, and search and rescue of survivors of the incident.

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