Toronto Pearson Airport held a large-scale bomb threat drill last night. Here’s what it looked like

More than a hundred volunteers joined emergency officials at Toronto Pearson Airport on Saturday night to act out a large-scale explosion drill.

Each year, the airport holds a different large-scale emergency drill meant to test its plans and procedures and identify any shortfalls and gaps in its response. This year’s drill saw over 300 people come together in Terminal 1 to act out a real-time response to the simulated bomb threat.

Volunteers act out a simulated response to a bomb threat in one of Toronto Pearson’s terminals on Saturday night.(@TorontoPearson/Twitter)

Saturday’s drill posed no threat to passengers (or their flight schedules), but its realistic portrayal saw hours of heightened activity at the airport overnight.

To achieve the most realistic effect possible, some volunteers even had moulage or mock injury make-up applied.

Moulage, or the art of applying injury make-up, was in use at Saturday’s drill. (CP24)

“Safety is our top priority, and we are continually looking for ways to improve our response to potential emergencies at the airport,” Khalil Lamrabet, Toronto Pearson’s Interim Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commerical Officer said in a release issued after the exercise.

Firefighters carry a volunteer in a large-scale emergency test at Toronto Pearson Airport on Sunday. (@TorontoPearson/Twitter)

“These simulated exercises underscore our commitment to emergency preparedness and provide us and our partners the opportunity to test all aspects of our joint response. Each year, we take away valuable lessons from this event to refine our protocols and procedures,” Lamrabet said.

First responders participate in a large-scale emergency test at Pearson Airport on Saturday night. (@TorontoPearson)

As required by the federal government, the airport holds a large-scale emergency drill annually. Last year, over 300 volunteers came together in a simulated plane crash. The year before that saw approximately 300 participants stage a protest in front of one of the terminals.

Participants take part in mock protest as part of emergency exercise at Toronto Pearson in 2022. (CNW Group/Greater Toronto Airports Authority)