Dozens of St. Maarten rescue workers took part in a simulation of a
nightmare scenario at Princess Juliana International Airport on Tuesday
May 26, 2009. The objective: taking part in a drill, to test readiness
in case of disaster. The simulation: a flock of birds struck a
commercial flight carrying 96 passengers and sent it crashing at the
airport, killing three persons and injuring more than 30 others. “This
could have actually happened,” said Princess Juliana International
Airport Enterprises (PJIAE) President Eugene Holiday at a press
conference at the end of the massive disaster simulation. “It is safe to
say that the overall exercise was a success in terms of the overall
objective to test the preparedness of the airport,” Holiday said.
In keeping with ICAO Standards and national legislation PJIAE is
required to conduct a live emergency drill once every two years. The
objective of this exercise is to assess the level of preparedness and
coordination between PJIAE and the Island emergency agencies. It is
against that background that today’s exercise was conducted to test and
evaluate: the response to alarm notification; the response of fire
fighting and security units; The response of the medical units; The
response of government agencies and PJIAE; The Command and Control
function; The security at the crash-site; The Primary Communication; and
the level of Victim and Family Care
In addition to PJIAE emergency services, the police, the island
firefighters, the ambulance department, the Red Cross, WIEMS and other
emergency service workers responded. The exercise also included students
from the American University (AUC) with fake wounds, who gave area
rescue teams the opportunity to hone their skills in the most realistic
atmosphere possible.
The exercise was well prepared and provided a good basis to prepare the
island in general and PJIAE staff in particular for eventual incidents.
Mr. Holiday said: “This was a dress rehearsal where they can learn to
work together and perfect their skills. Based on the evaluation
debriefing it is evident that all areas in terms of our goals were put
to the test. In that regard we shall await the formal evaluation
reports. This feedback is essential to identify and build on our
strengths and to assess and correct our weaknesses to ensure the highest
possible preparedness,” he said. Mr. Holiday thanked everyone for their
participation and in particular the participating agencies.
Fire Chief Mr. Winston Salomon was reported as saying that the drill was
necessary to prepare disaster management teams for the worst. “I think
we worked all hard,” Mr. Salomon said. “Of course, we made some
mistakes, but that’s why we do a drill.”
For many new Red Cross volunteers it was their first taste of a disaster
drill, said Manager Antoinette van den Brink. “A lot of our people are
new, and it was a wonderful opportunity for us to get the experience
they need,” Van den Brink said. Evaluators from the Netherlands Antilles
were on-island to observe the proceedings.
PJIAE’s Director of Operations Mr. Larry Donker, who was responsible for
organizing the exercise said he was pleased with the way things went.
