Forces planes and copters will be flying overhead and naval ships will sail through the waters off Prince Rupert at the end of the month for a major search and rescue training exercise.
"We have a small naval vessel, HMCS Edmonton, that will be acting as a vessel in distress. Participating in the exercise will be the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Air Force, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue – Station 64 (Prince Rupert)," explained Capt. Patrick McSorley of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria.
"The activity is in the vicinity of the Alaska border and not too far from the Washington border, and the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards have an agreement to help each other in instances of a major event such as this so it is good to practice."
The exercise is scheduled for April 30, though it could take place on May 1 if the weather isn't conducive to being on the water. Along with ships on the water, there will be a DHC-5 Buffalo aircraft, a Cormorant helicopter and two H60 helicopters and a C-130 Hercules from the U.S. Air Force.
McSorley, who is a graduate of Prince Rupert Secondary School and grew up in town, said such an extensive exercise is something that is a long time coming for the region.
"We haven't had a big exercise like this in Prince Rupert in a number of years, the last one was in 2005. Prince Rupert is a major centre for the North Coast and marine traffic is growing, so we felt it would be a good time to hold one there," he said, noting that the location of the airport does present some unique challenges.
"It's going to be good to get back to Prince Rupert."