A large-scale emergency exercise was conducted at Brussels Airport, Zaventem, on Saturday.
The drill simulated an incident whereby a helicopter crashed into a taxiing plane, according to Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport, and Flemish-Brabant governor Jan Spooren.
Saturday’s scenario involved a military helicopter with three occupants, crashing on to a plane on the Brussels Airport runway. Overall, 450 participants and over a hundred extras – playing the victims in the plane – participated in the exercise.
Disaster response put to test
Following the simulated crash, the airport’s in-house fire service were first at the disaster scene. They were subsequently joined by external fire services, medical intervention teams, federal police, defence, and local authorities. Those aboard the plane, who were uninjured, were taken to another area of the airport site – the ‘passenger reception centre’.
Injured victims were transported to a makeshift field hospital, established in the airport’s fire station. On arrival, a triage process identified severely or less severely injured victims to expedite transfer to actual hospitals if necessary.
“The routine and cooperation amongst various services is very important,” emphases Bruno Binst, emergency planning team leader at Red Cross-Flanders. “Bringing theory into practice is essential to form a well-coordinated response in the event of a real disaster.”
The entire exercise, commencing at 12:30 PM, lasted about six hours. During this time, the airport remained fully operational. Passengers were informed that the extensive presence of police, fire, and medical services was part of the drill protocol.
Crisis communication procedures were also practised, including a fictitious end-of-day press conference to inform the broader public. “It is premature to give a comprehensive evaluation of the exercise, but initial feedback was positive,” explains Arnaud Feist. “We will evaluate the procedures further over the coming weeks, making adjustments where necessary,” he continued.
Jan Spooren, the governor, also viewed the exercise as a success – “Compared to the exercise two years ago, there seems to be more confidence and calm amongst the personnel. They are more experienced in regards to the procedures; their focus and concentration were high.”
Brussels Airport carries out similar disaster drills every two years, in accordance with the safety requirements of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. For instance, a drill conducted two years ago revolved around a fire onboard a plane.
