A full-scale drill conducted seven years ago at the Calicut International Airport for assessing its preparedness in meeting emergency situations proved beneficial for a number of emergency medical care technicians, doctors and other first respondents to address the challenge effectively on Friday night.
The drill which was organised in 2012 by the Active Network Group of Emergency Life Savers (ANGELS) in association with the Airports Authority of India, Indian Medical Association, the police and fire force departments had managed to identify a number of safety requirements and challenges. Suggestions to address such findings had been submitted to the authorities after the event.
ANGELS was then emerging as a trained group of ambulance drivers with competence in handling emergency situations.
“It was a big experience as I was then involved in the field-level coordination of the drill in my capacity as ANGELS executive director. The situation was simulated by burning about 5,000 litres of aviation fuel,” said P.P. Venugopal, chief of emergency medicine at Aster MIMS Hospital, which cared for over 40 of the injured passengers on Friday. It was quite distressing that Friday’s crash took place exactly at the same location where the drill was carried out in 2012, he told The Hindu. The drill had witnessed the participation of a large number of health workers. It was then claimed to be the biggest ever drill conducted at the airport by complying with the guidelines of the Disaster Management Authority.
There were also similar drills in later years for auditing safety situations with the participation of airport staff and the Central Industrial Security Force personnel.
Dr. Venugopal said the biggest challenge for his medical team on Friday was to manage the critical care needs amid the COVID-19 scare. “There were 150 persons, including doctors, emergency medical technicians and nursing staff wearing PPE kits to handle the situation. Surgeons from all departments had been asked to report at the spot and care for the injured,” he said.