Reassuring Effectiveness

The mostly foreign staffs of the NATO Airlift Management Agency (NAMA) and the Boeing Company working in Pápa form an important part of the system that operates the C-17 cargo aircraft. For this reason, in an emergency, the airmen on duty in the area of the aerodrome have to be able to efficiently cooperate with these organizations as well. The emergency exercise held on February 22 served this objective.

The imitated emergency occurred inside the building of Boeing, where a fire alarm detected smoke and immediately alerted the fire-rescue service of the aerodrome. The firefighters deployed to the scene at short notice. Meanwhile the staff working inside the building moved to a safe place, in accordance with the evacuation plan.

The firefighters, who were wearing special breathing apparatuses due to the smoke, searched the building according to the standard operating procedures. They evacuated a badly injured man from there and started cleaning up the damage, being hindered by the hazardous material stored in the building and a gas pipe. The staff of the medical service treated the injured man and transported him from the scene. The soldiers serving at the HDF Pápa Air Base managed to contain the fire in a couple of minutes after receiving the alert, which well exemplifies their expertise and aptitude.

Lt.-Col. Zoltán Vicai, the Chief of Staff of the Air Base evaluated the exercise as satisfactory. He told us that the alert system functioned well and communication with the foreign staff was effective. Jerry Guilliams, the safety specialist of Boeing Company at Pápa added that one should not underestimate the significance of this kind of exercise. He said he was
satisfied with what he had seen and was of the opinion that the staff would be able to cooperate effectively with the emergency services of the Air Base in real-life danger too.