BACOLOD City – The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) yesterday conducted an emergency simulation exercise as part of the Bacolod-Silay Airport’s safety accreditation.
The exercises were participated by various rescue units belonging to the local government units of Bacolod, Talisay, Silay, and E.B. Magalona, along with volunteer groups such as the Amity and Chamber volunteer fire brigades.
Also noted to be present during the exercises were observers from other CAAP offices in the country, who are also in the process of getting or renewing their safety accreditation.
During the exercise, a mockup of an Airbus A320 wreckage was purposely set ablaze, while airport and airline employees played their role as the plane’s 100 passengers, and five crew members.
Two of the airport’s firefighting equipment immediately rolled out of the airport’s fire station and immediately raced to the scene, backed up by other firefighting equipment from the Bureau of Fire Protection.
Ambulances, and the airport’s medical personnel also raced to the scene and immediately separated the passengers and crew based on the type of injuries they sustained.
Several CAAP-Bacolod personnel, meanwhile, played crash investigators by cordoning off the supposed wreckage.
CAAP-Bacolod public information officer Ofelia Leonardo, said the exercise was “very important,” explaining it is better to look ahead and come up with a plan, than to look back and regret.
“We have to be prepared for any eventualities,” Leonardo said.
She further stated during the exercise, they had more than enough equipment to handle an emergency scenario at the airport.
Leonardo said CAAP’s Air Navigation Services Oversight Office and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) were the ones who evaluated the exercise, and they should release the results in a few days.
She also stressed the importance of the exercise as it could affect the CAAP’s safety grade with the ICAO, and other international partners such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the US, and the European Union’s (EU) Air Safety List.
The aviation industry in the Philippines was downgraded from Category 1 to Category 2 in 2008 and at one point Philippine-based airliners were also banned from flying in EU member countries, citing concerns over air safety.
The FAA later returned the Philippines’ rating to Category 1 in 2014, while the EU lifted its ban in 2015, after CAAP and the cooperation of local airline companies improved its safety standards.
Leonardo added they will learn about their performance and possible avenues for improvement once evaluators finish their assessments on the exercise.
Meanwhile, due to the exercises, morning services of Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific were cancelled, while at least three scheduled flights were delayed./PN
