Westport Airport plans emergency response exercise

Westport Airport will be carrying out a planned full emergency response exercise this coming weekend, 6-7 April.

As the holder of an aerodrome operator certificate issued under Civil Aviation Rule Part 139, Westport Airport is legally required to have an aerodrome emergency response plan in place.

This also involves having procedures in place for ongoing maintenance of the emergency plan, including physically testing out the plan at regular intervals.

The aerodrome emergency plan sets out the procedures that need to be followed when coordinating the response of the different airport agencies and services, and other agencies in the surrounding community (e.g. emergency services) that could be of assistance when responding to an emergency.

The date, time and location of this weekend’s exercise is being kept secret at this stage, so emergency personnel can respond as if this were a real situation. Communications will be issued on the day to inform the public that the emergency response exercise is underway.

Emergency response exercises give airports an opportunity to assess their preparedness and response capabilities in the event of an actual emergency, testing that communication and coordination is effective amongst key personnel.

During the debrief phase, strengths and weaknesses in the existing emergency response plan can be identified and modifications made to improve overall emergency preparedness.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Group Manager Community Services
Krissy Trigg
Krissy.Trigg@bdc.govt.nz