Emergency response systems at the Ian Fleming International Airport were put to the test during a full-scale simulation exercise at the facility last Tuesday (March 17).

The exercise is a requirement for all airports to test the effectiveness of security, emergency plans, response capacity, and coordination among agencies.

Claude Service, aerodromes manager at the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), explained that, “what it (the exercise) does is to incorporate all the mutual aid responders to respond to an emergency and to ensure there’s coordination in bringing back the airport to its rightful operation.”

The simulation involved an aircraft approaching the airport with approximately 76 passengers on board, which sustained a burst tyre upon landing. The aircraft veered off the runway, and the burst tyre caused a fire, resulting in a mass casualty situation, prompting an emergency response.

“In addition to that, we had a security element where the perimeter fence was breached and so, the security forces had to address that issue,” Service told JIS News.

Responders and stakeholders involved in the activity included the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA), North-East Regional Health Authority (NERHA), Jamaica Information Service (JIS) and the AAJ.

Service said that the objective of the exercise, which was to learn and identify gaps for improvement, was met.

“These exercises are usually no-fault exercises. It’s really a learning event. We really just wanted to test the airport emergency procedures to see what works and where improvement is needed and I believe that from this exercise, we would have gleaned enough information to have said to us, ‘this works well and this needs improvement’,” he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) with responsibility for the Ports Division, Stephanie Lindsay, noted that various police branches were involved in the event.

“We supported the exercise by providing escorts to and from the hospital and the different locations, as well as crowd control and access control,” she told JIS.

“So, we got an opportunity to see, in the event that something happens, how we would be able to respond,” she pointed out.

She noted that the simulation also tested the police’s coordination and communication with partner entities.

“The Ministry of Health also played a very critical role in the process based on the scenario itself as well as the fire department. So, it was a way also to test how we are able to execute the incident command structure, creating a smooth flow,” SSP Lindsay said.

“I think, in the end, it went very well. It gave us a good feel of where we are. It allowed us to see the gaps. It wasn’t a perfect scenario, but it was a good learning experience,” she continued.

In terms of the next steps, Service told JIS News that “the work has really just begun”.

He outlined that experts in the field were observers and evaluators for the day, and so we are now going to have another set of meetings to discuss what happened.”

“From that, we are going to coordinate the after-action report that we will provide to the regulators, the JCAA. In addition to that, we will also look at the areas that need to be improved, to see where resources are needed, where training is also needed, and try to implement that as quickly as possible to ensure that if we do have an emergency of this nature or similar, we are able to respond and respond appropriately,” Service said.