Daily Tribune‘Today’s full-scale aircraft emergency practice at Laguindingan Airport demonstrated our preparedness and took an important step toward assuring that we are fully equipped to manage emergencies in our current scenario’
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) at Laguindingan Airport conducted a full-scale emergency simulation on Tuesday (May 28) to significantly improve the safety and preparation of both passengers and crew in the event of an emergency.
According to CAAP, approximately 36 agencies participated in this exercise, including the Office of Civil Defense-10, various LGUs’ Disaster Reduction and Risk Offices, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Philippine National Police, the Department of Health, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Coast Guard, airlines and hospitals.
During the simulation, a mock-up aircraft crashed at Laguindingan Airport, catching fire. Initially, the pilot-in-command sent an emergency alert owing to a loss of vertical control and alerted Laguindingan Air Traffic Control, requesting a priority landing.
Following this, the Laguindingan Air Traffic Control Tower alerted the airport manager, prompting him to activate the crisis management team and the emergency operations center. When a plane crashes on the runway’s left side, the emergency alert is raised to Emergency Code 1, triggering a request for all immediate help from emergency resource provider partners and reaction clusters.
The passengers and the burning aircraft represented injuries, wreckage, and wounds that needed to be treated right away in order to save lives.
CAAP area manager, X Engineer, Job De Jesus stated, “Today’s full-scale aircraft emergency practice at Laguindingan Airport demonstrated our preparedness and took an important step toward assuring that we are fully equipped to manage emergencies in our current scenario. It is critical to underline that the significance of this exercise for our ability to save everyone cannot be emphasized.”
Jesus added that the cooperation of several agencies provided essential resources and knowledge, increasing the exercise’s effectiveness and, eventually, strengthening the airport’s emergency response capability.
