Emergency Preparedness Day
From my office at Linyi airport I hear various sirens – sirens that are recognizable as police and ambulance. What is going on? The windows in my office look directly into our school’s aircraft hangar, but I cannot see any further. Couldn’t see further if I wanted to anyway, as this morning a thick fog covers the entire city.
I walk down the hall to the DH’s office, as he has a full view of the airport apron (airplane parking area) and part of the runway. I am surprised to see a line of firetrucks, ambulances, police cars and what appear to be SWAT vehicles driving across the apron towards the runway. Several flights are due in this morning from Qingdao, Beijing and Shanghai, but with the fog they would normally have been delayed or canceled. Landing would not be allowed anyway as the visibility is well below the minimums for safety, even with a fancy Instrument Landing System. Disaster flashes through my mind and my stomach clenches. One of my coworkers seated in the office is quick to inform me that the emergency vehicles are simply engaged in training activities. This is the first time in four years I have ever seen an emergency training exercise at the airport and I have to admit I am impressed. It’s pretty darn important to be prepared for the worst, I think, especially as the wife of a pilot who has all sorts of emergency evacuation numbers on speed dial in her phone.
And indeed, I imagine that at airports all across China similar activities are taking place. On November 28th an Avient Aviation MD-11 cargo airplane (registered in Zimbabwe) crashed on takeoff at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport. Of the seven crew aboard, three died and four were injured. Video of the huge black smoke plume can be seen here. As always, my thoughts are with the families and friends of the deceased, Americans all, and the injured, American, Belgian, Indonesian and Zimbabwean.
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