Nuclear drill at McMaster

It looked like a scene out of a Hollywood movie — but thankfully, the urgent-looking scene at McMaster University this morning was just a test.

The university teamed up with Hamilton Fire crews and staff to practice protocol, in the event of a nuclear contamination. Crews went through the first stage, carefully removing hazmat suits and using specialized equipment to detect harm.

McMaster’s nuclear research centre is involved in isotope research. There isn’t a high risk anything could go wrong, but for director Chris Heysel, it’s just like the saying goes: “It’s just like Boy Scouts. We need to be prepared, we want to be in front of anything that happens, if it’s very remote we want to be prepared.”

“It’s especially important for us to work, with the community to integrate with our civic emergency responders and team on campus. It’s really important for the university to be this proactive and to take this safety role. ”

The research centre says the event of a serious contamination is unlikely, but their mandate is to prepare for the worst.