Plane crash tests emergency response
The ability of Whangārei emergency services to cope with a major incident was recently tested in a simulated plane crash near Whangārei Airport.
Exercise ‘On the Beech’ involved a Beech aircraft full of people crashing into the mudflats at the north-western end of the airport.
Fire, Police and Ambulance staff make their way across the mudflats near the Whangārei Airport as part of the simulated plane crash exercise. |
The Whangārei Airport Company, Northland Police, New Zealand Fire Service, St John Ambulance and Whangārei Hospital all took part in the four hour exercise involving 130 emergency services personnel and 50 volunteers.
Volunteers took on the roles of plane passengers and crew, bystanders, witnesses, family members and media.
Northland Police Operations Manager and Exercise Director, Inspector Murray Hodson, says the exercise aimed to test the organisations’ abilities to respond and recover from a major incident.
“The exercise was a result of six months of planning involving key people from each of the emergency services organisations. All organisations were tested on 23 key performance indicators.”
Responses included coordinating all emergency services to cordon off the crash area. The Fire Service had the difficult task of rolling out hoses for 300 metres along the mudflats to reach the plane, which had caught fire.
Passengers carried from the plane were treated at a triage area before being transported to Whangārei Hospital. |
Police and Ambulance staff had to retrieve the passengers before the tide came in, which saw them sinking into knee-deep mud.
“It was tough work and it had to be coordinated,” Murray says. “To further test everyone, we had a few passengers who couldn’t speak English.”
The media were at the pressure points of the scene – the airport, the Emergency Operation Centre and the hospital.
“The media presence alone tested the patience and capability of all emergency services as they tried to undertake their respective roles.”
The exercise involved umpires from each of the organisations, working under chief umpire, Counties/Manukau Operations Manager, Inspector Dave Simpson.
Considered a success, ‘On the Beech’ is the first major practical scenario to be held in Northland.
“The exercise was long overdue,” says Murray. “In the past, emergency services held table-top exercises, but these don’t test the real response and capability of the services.”
Murray says the exercise has given Northland emergency services confidence they can respond capably to any emergency in the region.
“We have yet to receive the final report but, like any exercise, we acknowledge there are going to be vulnerabilities,” says Murray.
“The idea is to make improvements to our emergency plans to better respond in the future.”
