In Nunavik, 9/11 led to better preparedness

Jack Papak and Craig Lingard, department directors at the Kativik Regional Government, recall the events of Sept. 11, 2001 in Nunavik, which, although tragic, did lead to better preparedness in the region, they say. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

Kuujjuaq’s new airport terminal, which was built after 9/11, was designed with ample space for security checks. (FILE PHOTO)

KUUJJUAQ — When the first plane hit the World Trade Centre on Sept. 11, 2001, Craig Lingard was sitting in Kuujjuaq’s police station.

The civil security coordinator at the Kativik Regional Government — a position Lingard held 10 years ago — left the station’s holding area to watch the events unfold on television.

“We all stopped what we were doing,” he said.

But not for long.

Within the hour, Nav Canada – the federal agency that controls aircraft flying through Canadian airspace — had contacted the emergency control centre at Kuujjuaq’s airport to indicate that North American airspace had been shut down.

“We were told that planes from all over must be grounded,” Lingard said. “And that could mean us.”

The community went into emergency preparation mode, although, in the end, no flights were diverted to Kuujjuaq.

In Kuujjuaq, civil security set up hundreds of cots and “relocation kits,” which include pillows, blankets and hygiene kits, for potential passengers arriving in the community.

Today, four different Nunavik communities — Kuujjuaq among them — have enough supplies to relocate 2,000 people, Lingard said.

Ironically, the community of Puvirnituq was scheduled to do a full crash simulation on Sept. 11, 2001, Lingard recalled.

The full-scale exercise requires most of the community’s resources and crew were set to go out onto the runway when the call came in.

But 10 years after the terrorist attacks in the United States, Lingard says communities as far away as the Canadian Arctic have now invested more into security.

“From the municipal level, it’s let the average person be more appreciative and understanding of the key role emergency workers play in emergency situations,” he said. “These people, many of them volunteers, are meant to make a difference in life and death circumstances. And that’s a good thing.”

Passengers who fly regularly to and from the region under much more rigid rules can see that first-hand, he said.

Jack Papak, head of the KRG’s transport department, said that the events of Sept. 11, although tragic, “opened a lot of doors for improvement.”

“There was a lot of equipment missing 10 years ago,” he said. “There was no internet and no recording equipment [in the airport’s emergency coordination centre.] Now that’s all been installed.

“Ever since 9/11, we’ve really stepped up.”

Papak admits that coordinating real-life responses to some emergency scenarios seems overwhelming.

When Papak received news about the recent crash of First Air flight 6560 in Resolute Bay, he said “my mind was just racing.”

‘Everything we’ve been trained for, but when the real thing happens, it’s just shocking,” he said.

But Transport Canada requires the region update their emergency response exercises once a year so they are ready to react.

When a call comes in, Kuujjuaq’s emergency coordination centre deploys all emergency responders to the scene, including police, firefighters and medical staff.

On average, code yellow calls — for an emergency where there could be casualties — are answered in 10 minutes, Papak said.

And that’s important, because Kuujjuaq is starting to see more through traffic at its airport, he said.

Just last week, Papak helped respond to two code yellows at the airport; one was a French aircraft that had to land in Kuujjuaq when one of its engine quit in mid-flight.

Another was a flight en route to Salluit that had to be diverted to Kuujjuaq when the pilot reported hydraulic problems.

Both flights landed without incident, although emergency services were there waiting, Papak said.

Nunavik can expect to see improved firefighting services since KRG adopted its long-awaited fire safety cover plan this past spring, a plan that will bring fire protection services for the region up to Quebec standards.

As part of the plan, the KRG’s civil security department has starting recruiting volunteer firefighters for training this fall.

Once that’s complete, the region will have about 200 firefighters with certification which is recognized across North America.

And this Sunday, Kuujjuaq’s firefighters will do what they’ve done every Sept. 11 since 2001.

They’ll bring the truck out of the station at 11:00 a.m. and firefighters will have a moment of silence to remember their colleagues who died trying to rescue people from New York’s World Trade Centre.