By PR | 07:48 PM October 28, 2023
The Bohol-Panglao International Airport (BPIA) conducted its full-scale emergency exercise on Friday, October 27, 2023, at BPIA’s airside premises to showcase its preparedness and emergency response capability during an aircraft emergency and mass casualty incident.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires that airport emergency preparation include the execution of full-scale emergency drills in order to test and implement safety and security protocols that are in line with the most recent recommendations under the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (ICAO-SARPS) manuals.
In compliance to this mandate, BPIA under the leadership of acting airport manager Anghelo Ibañez conducted its 1st Full Scale On-Airport Emergency Exercise. This multi-agency, extensive event aims to evaluate the efficacy of BPIA’s policies and procedures as laid forth in the BPIA Airport Emergency Plan (AEP), as well as the organization’s preparation and capability to respond to aviation emergencies, notably an aircraft emergency.
Nearly all of the committee members have signed the TOR and shown support since the Airport Emergency Committee was established last August 18, 2023. In order to ensure that BPIA and other participating agencies will determine their lines of authority as the responders and support groups and explain how all operations should be coordinated during an airport emergency, a series of coordination meetings have been held.
At 2 p. m. the airport runway had been closed down to 5 p. m. for carrying out this exercise.
Primary responders were the BPIA Rescue and Firefighting and medical unit. The BPIA authorities, airline operators, police, security agencies, emergency medical services, municipal and provincial government agencies, airport concessionaires, volunteer rescue organizations participated the event.
The activity was also attended by heads from other CAAP-operated airports and was later assessed by representatives from CAAP’s AANSOO and ADMS, Bohol PDRRMO, LGU Panglao (Office of the Vice Mayor and Rural Health Unit) during the debriefing and critiquing session.
