Tri-Region Conducts Successful Emergency Preparedness Event

Parkland County, in partnership with the Town of Stony Plain, City of Spruce Grove, and the Village of Spring Lake, conducted a large-scale functional Emergency Management exercise on September 17 and 18, 2025.

The full-scale simulation, a catastrophic tornado dubbed ‘Operation Twister’, was held at the Spruce Grove Protective Services building. The event mirrored a real-world disaster that travelled through municipal borders and was designed to test how the collective Incident Management Teams of each municipality responds to a complex, multi-jurisdictional disaster.

The goal of the exercise is not only to test operational readiness but also to identify areas for improvement, validate emergency plans, and strengthen regional relationships — all critical elements in reducing response times and improving outcomes during real emergencies.

The ‘Operation Twister’ emergency exercise marks the first of its kind in the Tri-region and took nearly two years of preparation to bring together multiple agencies under one coordinated effort to evaluate and enhance emergency response capabilities.

“As recent events across Canada and the U.S. have demonstrated, emergencies don’t recognize municipal boundaries,” says Ian Friesen, Emergency Preparedness Program Manager for Parkland County, who was responsible for planning the exercise. “Emergency preparedness is an essential responsibility, and training opportunities like these ensure our communities remain resilient, responsive, and ready for any crisis.”

Now that the training scenario is concluded, a detailed document known as an after-action report will be created, just as it would following a real-life emergency. This report will help to identify strengths, lessons learned, as well as recommendations for further training to strengthen any future response efforts. 

To learn more about how you can be prepared for an Emergency, visit parklandcounty.com/emergency