By Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA
BACOLOD CITY — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) initiated a full-scale emergency exercise at the Bacolod-Silay Airport on Friday to ensure readiness during emergency situations.
The simulation exercise, conducted in compliance with the Bacolod-Silay Airport’s aerodrome certification, was participated in by rescue responders, military and police forces, fire units, and concerned government agencies from E.B. Magalona town and the cities of Bacolod, Talisay and Silay.
Ofelia Leonardo, public information officer of the local CAAP office, said the conduct of the response drill underscores the need for emergency preparedness at the Bacolod-Silay Airport.
“In the words of our management, it is better to look ahead and plan than to look back and regret. We need to prepare for any eventuality,” she added.
Leonardo said the CAAP formed the response organization under the airport emergency response program to include government agencies whose mandate involve addressing emergency situations. “We cannot do it alone,” she said.
Leonardo said the agencies and units involved signed a document signifying their commitment to use their facilities for airport emergency response.
During the conduct of the exercise on Friday morning, flights have been cancelled since the runway was ordered shut from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
The scenario was the crash landing of an Airbus A320 carrying 100 passengers and five airline crew.
Technical evaluators deployed by CAAP assessed and inspected the response based on the safety manual, Leonardo said. “We will meet again. We will have a series of meetings to discuss (the evaluation),” she added.
The conduct of full-scale emergency exercise is a requirement of International Civil Aviation Organization on airport emergency planning.
The airport’s aerodrome emergency plan sets forth the procedures for coordinating the response of different aerodrome agencies, and authorities in the surrounding community that could be of assistance in responding to an emergency at the airport.
