October 14th 2022
Hewanorra International Airport prepares for full scale simulation exercise
by SLASPA
A TABLETOP EXERCISE DISCUSSED AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES AND RESPONSES IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY.
The Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) facilitated a tabletop exercise at the Hewanorra International Airport’s Conference Room on Thursday, October 13, 2022. The activity was in preparation for the Airport’s upcoming Simulation Exercise, which will take place on October 14, 2022.
A tabletop exercise is a meeting to discuss a simulated emergency. Representatives from various response agencies evaluated risk analysis, discussed initial actions, tested their emergency plans, and assessed processes outlined by multiple organizations during a crisis. “The tabletop discussion is a scenario-based exercise that gives responding agencies a medium to articulate their responsibilities if an actual Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) is activated. In other words, it is the cognitive component of managing an EOC effectively”, explained the facilitator of the exercise, Mr. Ausbert Regis.
The International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), and consequently the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCA), has mandated the tabletop exercise to prepare the actual simulation. Five member states of the OECS are signatories to the signed Chicago Convention, which established the ICAO. Accordingly, they are obligated to meet the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS) enshrined in and consistent with ICAO’s eighteen annexes.
The session saw the participation of the various response agencies: The Air Traffic Services, the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (AAFF), the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF), the Ports Police department, the St. Jude’s Hospital, Airline Representatives and Airport employees. SLASPA anticipates the successful execution of the activity.
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