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On Sep. 28, a full-scale exercise was held at Lajes Field with the aim of renewing the certification for the use of the aeronautical infrastructure as an international airport.
The exercise consisted of a simulated accident involving a civilian aircraft which caught fire during landing, resulting in a multi-victim scenario. In addition to fulfilling a legal requirement, “the drill is particularly important as a tool for developing the reaction capacity of the rescue resources and training them in the subsequent procedures to be carried out in the event of an accident,” explained Major Paulo Dâmaso, Head of the Air Base No.4 Accident Prevention Office.
Participating in the drill were various services from the 65th Air Base Group and the Air Base No.4, members of the Lajes Civil Aerogare, Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service, Public Security Police, Regional Health Directorate, Hospital Espírito Santo da Ilha Terceira, Praia da Vitória Health Center, Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Praia da Vitória, and Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Angra do Heroísmo.
The 765th Air Base Squadron Fire Department and the 65th Air Base Squadron Security Forces Flight were two of the offices of the 65th Air Base Group that participated in the exercise. For the group, their first responder responsibility was paramount. “Their seamless coordination was essential for initiating triage and crash recovery operations,” pointed out MSgt. Michael Hughes, Inspection Team Leader of the 65th Air Base Group.
The Air Base No. 4 Aeronautical Infrastructure Emergency Plan includes actions to be taken to deal with various types of emergency situations, where coordination and communication procedures are clear and the responsibilities and obligations of each entity involved are duly identified in order to ensure a rapid and coordinated response from all internal and external players.
According to Major Dâmaso, “Carrying out this type of exercise is important because it allows coordination with external resources to be tested and its ability to integrate with the needs arising from the specific nature of an accident response within the airport area to be verified.”
The plan provides for the use of external resources to train personnel and familiarize them with the Emergency Action Plan for the Aeronautical Infrastructure, with the aim of successfully carrying out rescue operations in the event of any kind of accident. “Combining efforts through the activation of the Lajes Control Center and Exercising of the group Emergency Action Plan provided insights into what additional resources could be utilized in the event of this type of situation,” added MSgt. Hughes.
