Sochi Airport rescue drills simulate burning plane

Full-scale emergency rescue drills were successfully conducted at Sochi Airport — specialists practiced actions in the event of an aircraft emergency.

According to the exercise scenario, a Boeing 777-300 with 360 passengers and 12 crew members made an emergency landing due to technical reasons. The rescue team and representatives of cooperating agencies demonstrated readiness for rapid response: organized rescue of passengers and crew, extinguishing the fire on board, and carrying out emergency rescue and urgent operations at the site of the simulated aircraft accident.

In addition to the forces and resources of Sochi Airport, the following took part in the operation: the EMERCOM of Russia for Krasnodar Krai, the Sochi Rescue Service, the Southern Regional Search and Rescue Team of the EMERCOM of Russia, the regional search and rescue base, the Kuban-SPAS emergency rescue team, the Southern Horse and Dog Rescue Center of the EMERCOM of Russia, and other services. The arrival and deployment times of all units participating in the search and rescue drills met the standards.

«Systematic drills on emergency scenarios are a mandatory element of our work, allowing us to bring staff actions to automaticity. It is important to note that the exercises did not disrupt the normal rhythm of the airport: flights operated on schedule. All goals were achieved, and the inspection confirmed the high readiness of the services,» reported Vasily Evseev, head of the fire and rescue support service for flights at Sochi Airport.

The main goal of the full-scale drills was to hone skills and strengthen clear coordination between the personnel of the Sochi Airport emergency rescue team and all cooperating city services and agencies. During the event, key components of responding to aircraft accidents were practiced, including notification, organization of rescue operations for passengers and crew, extinguishing the simulated fire, and carrying out urgent emergency rescue work.