Mark Hannant
A mid-air collision of two aircraft during a flying display was the nightmare scenario that faced the site Emergency Services Control unit two days before the show opened.
All relevant emergency services were scrambled as the scale of the disaster became clear. Operational control of the situation shifted from the MoD Police (MDP) and into the hands of a superintendent of Hampshire Police.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service worked with Farnborough's Aerodrome Fire and Rescue Service while personnel from eight different medical services began to deal with the aftermath. Exercise Falcon was under way.
"It was an amazing feeling," says Planning and Emergency Services Officer Chris Iddon, the man who put the training exercise into effect. "Even though it was a practice exercise, my heart rate rocketed as I'm sure it would in a real situation.
SATISFIED
"The practice lasted for a couple of hours but it felt like two days. As a result of the post-disaster debriefing we've made a couple of minor changes to our plan but basically we felt we'd covered all the angles." This year is the first time all the emergency services have been located in a central control centre. Prior to 1996 emergency services were provided by the Royal Aircraft Establishment. At the last show, the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) became responsible. The problem last time round was one of communication, says Iddon. Each agency was busy doing its own thing but what wasn't happening was the passing back of relevant information to the central coordinating team.
Iddon was appointed to sort the problem out and put in place a centralised team. Representatives of the MDP, Hampshire Police, Hampshire and the Aerodrome Fire and Rescue Services, eight different medical services, the Surrey Ambulance Service and TNT Show Freight are all represented in the control centre - in close proximity and in close communication.
FLEXIBLY
"Over the past 18 months we've gained the ability to deal flexibly with whatever may occur. In the emergency services we talk in terms of when an incident happens - not if. When you deal in 'if' you lose the edge needed to deal with the real thing."
In 1996 there were more than 600 casualties during the week of the airshow. They ranged from wasp stings to a major collapse. This year there are more than 275 medical staff on site every day, coordinated by medical director Dr Brian Robinson. The six doctors include aeromedical experts with experience of dealing with pilots who have ejected from their aircraft.
For Iddon, there are some busy days ahead. "It's a strange job. I've been planning for 18 months for something I hope never happens. But if it does - we're ready."
Source: Flight Daily News
