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Training for the unexpected
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Only a few days after a real incident on the runway, RAF Gibraltar has held a training exercise to practice Incident Commanders in their roles and responsibilities.
?As we have a regular turnover of personnel, it is important that we regularly train our new people for the unexpected,? said the station commander, Wing Commander Simon Dowling. ?But, unlike in a full-scale Disaster Plan exercise, today we were able to stop the activity whenever we wanted to discuss the various options open to the Incident Commander.?
In the exercise scenario, a civilian Airbus 320 (similar to those used by Easyjet and Monarch) suffered from a collapsed undercarriage, resulting in a crash at the eastern end of the runway. The exercise assumed that 75 people were on board at the time. Four fire tenders, two ambulances and a number of support vehicles reacted to the imaginary incident, said the MOD.
?The training afternoon has been most useful,? concluded the station commander. ?In this form of training it is important that we respond correctly rather than quickly.?
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