Simulated emergency exercise conducted at Kolkata Airport

Kolkata, May 29 (IANS) A hot fire drill, technically known as simulated emergency exercise, was conducted at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on Thursday, according to a statement issued by the Corporate Communications Department of the airport.

According to the statement, the drill was a part of the airport's monthly emergency preparedness routine and on Thursday it started at 3:48 p.m. under the direction of Airport Director P.R. Beuria.

"A hot fire drill is a full-scale emergency simulation where multiple agencies perform their designated roles as they would in a real-life aircraft emergency. These exercises are conducted to validate emergency response plans, improve inter-agency coordination, and enhance readiness across prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery phases," the statement said.

According to the statement, Thursday's exercise involved the participation of 16 Aircraft Rescue And Fire Fighting (ARFF) personnel and nine Central Industrial Security Force Personnel personnel.

"The drill utilised two ARFF vehicles and two ambulances, with a mock aircraft crash staged within the airport premises to simulate a high-pressure emergency scenario," the press statement said.

As per the statement, the objective was to achieve the prescribed response time of 138 seconds from the initial alert and at the same time to ensure that the fire was brought under control within one minute, which is a vital benchmark in aviation safety.

"Continuous and rigorous training enables teams to meet these stringent goals efficiently. Kolkata Airport, under the leadership of Beuria, remains steadfast in its commitment to safety through realistic and high-impact emergency preparedness exercises," the statement said.

--IANS

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