SCASPA holds emergency exercise at airport

Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport

ZIZ News…April 13 2012 – In accordance with the Emergency Plan of the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, a full scale emergency exercise was conducted at the airport on Friday, April 13, 2012 at 8: 00 a.m.

Airport Officials and emergency response personnel from the local community were involved in the drill. The exercise that lasted for two hours was coordinated and monitored by Airport Officials and Civil Aviation Inspector of the Ministry Of Tourism And International Transport, Mr. Royston Griffin.

The activity tested the response mechanisms used by the Airport Security, and the response times and methods of the Police, Military, Emergency Management Services and any other individuals or entities.

According to Airport Manager, Mr. Elsworth Warner, the exercise did not interfere with the operations of the airport.

“We conducted this drill at that time of day when the airport was not expected to be busy, as we aimed to avoid interrupting the operations in any major way. The exercise was organized in a manner that ensured the continuous operations of the airport. I am pleased with the response time from the Bomb Squad of the Police department and the Emergency Management Services after they learnt of the scenario – it was quick. It was a great learning opportunity and eye opener for us at SCASPA, we were able to identify the areas in our operations the need improvement.”

After the drill was completed, a meeting was held with SCASPA officials and staff and emergency responders to review what happened and discuss how things could be executed differently in the future. Full scale emergency exercises are held at the Airport and Sea Port every two years.