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June 4, 2010 CEBU CITY – The Mactan- Cebu International Airport (MCIAA) got “high grades” from evaluators of its first full-scale emergency exercise held last Friday, boosting the country’s second busiest airport’s bid to regain a higher rating in airworthiness.
Some 100 personnel from various agencies showed how to rescue passengers from a site with a burning fuselage after a crash landing at the northwest end of the runway.
Evaluator Camilla Taylor of Cathay Pacific noted how the groups worked together to address a “very chaotic” situation.
Another evaluator, Jeong Joon Hwang of Asiana Airlines, said people involved were well-trained and the whole exercise was well-organized.
Jun Pilapil, president of Mactan Airline Operators Council, said it was “perfect for a first time.”
MCIAA Assistant General Manager Romeo Bersonda believes the drill, which lasted for almost an hour, “went well” and he is hopeful the airport will regain this year the “Cat- egory 1” status in airworthi- ness.
The holding of the Mactan Crash and Rescue Exercise is a requirement for the airport to be certified as Category I by the aviation authority.
Agnes Undang, area manager of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said the rescue and safety exercise is one of the areas to be assessed for the issuance of a certificate.
Undang hopes MCIAA will regain the Category I status this year, after it slid to Category 2 last year.
During the drill, eight groups, namely, the MCIAA Rescue and Firefighting Division, airport police, Medical Services Division, PNP Aviation Security Group, the airlines’ repre- sentatives, Bureau of Quarantine, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Air Force, were the ones that initially responded.
Various medical teams and rescue groups also responded to three emer- gency codes involving the evacuation of slightly injured passengers 200 meters away from the “crash site,” attending to injured passengers and giving immediate medical attention to seriously injured passengers.
In the simulation, those waving black flags – representing the casualties – were the last ones to be airlifted out of the area.
“This is an international way to rescue survivors,” said Dr. Pek Eng Lim of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF).
The practice, he said, is to bring hospital services inside tents put up near the crash site.
After giving first aid or doing minor surgery inside the tents, the teams will airlift those seriously injured to nearby hospitals.
Bersonda said the exercise will also prepare the personnel of all responding units for conducting a quick and efficient rescue operation.
Even if the airport is certified, Bersonda said it is still required to conduct the exercise once in two years.
MCIAA, Bersonda admitted, is still classified as “Category 2” after it was downgraded last year.
The International Civil Aviation Organization and its local counterpart CAAP evaluate the “airworthiness” of airports.
“We have to audit them on safety requirements based on standards,” said Undang.
“Hopefully this year we can regain our original status,” she added.