Police Fire brigade battling a fire during mandatory fire drill at Entebbe Airport. PHOTO: Kennedy Oryema
By Billy Rwothungeyo
Residents of the quiet town of Entebbe town were thrown into panic as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Uganda carried out a dramatic two hour fire drill at the Entebbe International Airport.
The authority’s emergency response systems were tested as the scene, engulfed in billows of smoke, next to the old runaway, where an aircraft crash was staged.
Firefighters demonstrated their skills while ambulances and medical staff, from a legion of hospitals and medical centres in Kampala and Entebbe, descended on the crash scene to “rescue” the 200 “victims”.
The Uganda Police, Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), UPDF marine forces, Immigration department, Uganda Revenue Authority, Air Uganda, Entebbe Handling services, DAS Handling all participated in the exercise.
The exercise is a mandatory requirement for International Airports of countries that are contracting member states of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
“They (ICAO) require that you must undergo this exercise every two years. And you must have observers who are going to note how you have performed. What follows this exercise is self-critiquing session,” said Igne Igundura, CAA’s public affairs manager after the exercise.
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