Emergency management officials from over 40 rural municipalities and communities throughout the Interlake region will participate in an emergency-preparedness exercise called Shooting Star on Sept. 18. 

The all-day exercise is based on an incident involving transportation of dangerous goods that will cause evacuations and the opening of municipal emergency-operation and reception centres in each region.  The exercise will involve five areas.  The Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) requires each municipality to exercise its emergency plan every year.  Exercise Shooting Star will test and train staff that would work in emergency operations-centres and reception centres for evacuees. 

This exercise is the first of its kind run in Canada with over 40 communities participating in the same exercise at the same time on the same day.  The five emergency operation centres will be in Selkirk, Riverton, Stonewall, Alexander and Ashern.  All the communities involved have committed financial and human resources to the exercise.  A Joint Emergency Preparedness Program grant from Public Safety Canada is also supporting the exercise. 

Creative Communications students from Red River College will also participate in this exercise as reporters and photographers.  As well, resources will be called upon from the RCMP, provincial social services, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Manitoba Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Manitoba Conservation and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.  Manitoba EMO has played a major role in exercise organization and design, and will act as a facilitator at the exercise.