Shannon Airport is due to hold a multi-agency emergency training exercise tomorrow (Tuesday, November 7).
The “major incident” exercise will test the response of the airport and participating agencies who would be called-on in the event of a major accident at the airport.
The training exercise will not affect passengers travelling through the Shannon Airport on the day.
Participating agencies will include Shannon Airport, AirNav Ireland, Health Service Executive (HSE), An Garda Siochana (Clare Division), Clare County Council Fire Service, Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC), the Irish Coastguard and the Irish Defence Force.
The two-hour scenario, code-named – “Exercise Charlie” – will see agencies respond to, and work together on, a simulated emergency involving an aircraft needing to divert to Shannon Airport. The idea behind the exercise is to allow the agencies gain invaluable experience in a live simulated incident.
Speaking ahead of the training day, Director of Shannon Airport, Niall Kearns said: “Safety is paramount to us here in Shannon and a multi-agency exercise like this allows us to assess our readiness for any incident that may occur in real-life and that our team here and our partner agencies are ready to respond.
“These exercises are carried out every two years and based on a specific fictitious incident here, as part of our aerodrome certification. It’s a fantastic opportunity to work with our colleagues in the local council, HSE, Gardaí, the Coast Guard, the Defence Forces, Shannon Foynes Port and AirNav Ireland and test our response to emergency situations.”
