Nanaimo Airport emergency drill deemed a success, but communication could be improved
NANAIMO — The president of Nanaimo Airport is happy with how a live emergency response drill went on Friday but says communication improvements are required.
Officials staged a plane’s hard landing on Friday morning. Medical treatment was coordinated, the accident scene controlled and environment protected, according to Mike Hooper. He says while overall the drill was executed well, he says radio communication among their multiple agencies needs attention.
“Our first responder team is on their own frequency, what we can do is ensure that we all have the same radio communications and a system to make sure that the communication is seamless between the different agencies as we go forward,” said Hooper.
Several agencies took part in the drill including area fire departments, RCMP, Ambulance Paramedics and on-site air carriers. Hooper says the drill involved a long culvert emulating a plane with sixty people on board.