Successful emergency exercise for airport

Latest News & Media Releases

Published: 01 Oct 2019

Timaru District Council in cooperation with its partners hosted a successful Emergency Exercise recently at Timaru Richard Pearse Airport.

The emergency exercise is a requirement to retain Civil Aviation Authority certification for the Airport.

Council’s Group Manager Infrastructure, Ashley Harper, said that the exercise plays a major role in improving overall airport safety by assessing the capabilities, readiness and effectiveness of the emergency and rescue services.

“The exercise enables us to demonstrate our ability to handle an emergency situation at the airport and ensure that the correct procedures in place are there for incidents, should they occur.” he said.

“It also offers an excellent opportunity for the Council to coordinate diverse stakeholders to handle incident scenarios and the execution of the Airport Emergency Plan.

“This year’s emergency response simulation was centred on a Hazardous Substance and the exercise involved around 25 participants, including Roncalli Collage drama students acting as affected passengers, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, New Zealand Police and St John.

“Through the exercise, we have identified some areas for improvement in terms of the situational passenger management, planning and procedural controls, role and responsibility clarifications, and capabilities of existing resources.

“These findings will enable us to refine our procedures even further, ensuring it continues to operate as a safe and secure airport in line with aviation standards.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in the planning and coordination of this exercise for the spirit of team work, and all participating agencies for exhibiting the highest levels of professionalism.”

Last updated: 24 Feb 2021