EXERCISE FRAPORT 2021 – PRACTICAL EXERCISE TO TEST THE PREPAREDNESS OF THE RESPONSE OF THE PROTECTION, RESCUE AND RELIEF FORCES IN THE EVENT OF AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT

Abstract

According to the Rules on Exercises in the Field of Protection against Natural and Other Disasters, preparedness for individual disasters should be tested in national exercises every five years. The Fraport 2021 practical exercise on aircraft accident preparedness took place on 25 September 2021, at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport and at the premises of the Ljubljana University Medical Centre. This was the first practical exercise to be carried out at the time when epidemiological measures to limit the spread of the infectious disease Covid-19 were in force in Slovenia, and all the participants had to comply with the applicable declared conditions and implement disease prevention measures throughout the exercise. The exercise was conducted successfully; all the participants were highly motivated and demonstrated appropriate competence in the performance of the tasks. The large number of injured people who had to be treated at the scene or transported for further care according to the exercise scenario posed a major challenge for the healthcare sector. The lessons learned from the exercise are important for further planning, organization and operation of the healthcare sector in mass casualty situations. Important lessons were also learned by the airport firefighters who, in addition to extinguishing the fire and decontaminating the area from a hazardous substance, transported the injured from the aircraft or from the site of injury to the receiving point of medical care. The overall conclusion of all the participants in the exercise was that the objectives of the exercise had been achieved and that the lessons learned would be helpful in the response to real disasters.