Sunshine Coast Airport staff and emergency crews have tested their preparedness for a large scale disaster at the Maroochydore facility.
The multi-agency exercise simulated a large fuel spill causing multiple injuries near the main terminal building and looked to test emergency procedures and response capabilities in a realistic scenario.
The multi-agency emergency field exercise is part of the Airport’s on-going commitment to safety and emergency management preparation.
Sunshine Coast Airport General Manager Operations, Kate McCreery-Carr, said the exercise brought together multiple stakeholders and emergency response agencies, providing airport staff with an invaluable opportunity to test communications, incident assessment, decision making and resource deployment.
“Simulated emergency exercises are extremely important and one of the best ways for us to prepare,” Ms McCreery-Carr said.
“It gives us the opportunity to work through our processes with key stakeholders so, in the unlikely event of an emergency incident, we are ready to respond as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“We have a comprehensive Airport Emergency Plan that details our process and how we work with emergency services during an incident, and the exercise gives us the perfect opportunity to test how we collaborate and work together,” she said.
The exercise is a requirement under Civil Aviation Safety Regulations.
It involved police, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Airservices Australia’s Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service, paramedics, refuelling services and Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service.
