Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc. (WAA) will be conducting a live emergency exercise on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.

"This is something that we do at least once a year," Tyler MacAfee from the Winnipeg Airports Authority says. "It's really to test our emergency planning, our procedures, and just to work with our partners through the process."

Those partners include the airport's own on-site emergency crews, as well as the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, the Department of National Defence, as well as the City of Winnipeg.

"Part of the exercise today is to just test those procedures and see are we calling the right people, are they coming in at the right time, those kinds of things," McAfee says.

McAfee says to expect to see additional emergency vehicles in the area today as they stage for the drill. He also says that other emergency responders remain on call at the time so they can respond in case of an actual emergency.

The exercise is expected to involve a simulated incident on the airfield with on-airport and off-airport emergency personnel participating.

The airport will remain open during the exercise, and emergency response services will be available at all times in the event of a real incident at the airport. Signage will be posted inside the terminal, and travellers will be updated through social media as necessary.