Emergency agencies’ air simulation causes anxiety

THE popular African proverb, “a man who has experienced snake bite will fear little lizard,” best described the scene yesterday when Oworonshoki area of Lagos State was thrown into panic mode as an air simulation, carried out by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) caused a stir and grave anxiety among residents.

The panic mode was activated immediately a “dummy” plane went down into the lagoon. Residents, who suddenly discovered officials of the rescue agencies battling what looked like plane wreckage, began to raise alarm of another plane crash, just months after a Bristow Helicopter crashed in the area.

While none could immediately explain the ‘crash’, a horde of sympathizers soon gathered, with some volunteering to assist the rescue agencies on ground.

The exercise, which started on Wednesday evening, and meant to create emergency readiness culture within the rank of NEMA officials, was erroneously interpreted as another air crash in the community. Expectedly, residents, who saw helicopters hovering in the air, were afraid that another air crash might have occurred.

A resident, who supplies sharp sand close to the scene of the exercise, said the panic was expected, going by the ugly incident of Wednesday, August 12, 2015, when a Bristow’s Sikorsky S-76 helicopter with registration number 5N – BDG – 760540, crashed at Oworonshoki. The crewmembers died along with two passengers; while six survived the accident.

The supplier, who gave her name simply as Bukky, said when they suddenly noticed the helicopter hovering in the air on Wednesday evening, there was trepidation in the whole area that the unusual might happened again.

“We were taken aback, but our trepidation was later doused when they resumed their operation on Thursday, we were already aware that there was no cause for alarm.”

But another resident, Kunle Oni, who did not witness the Wednesday incident, said the large number of officials of NEMA and accompanied agencies, which was unusual in the area, raised the suspicion that something may have gone wrong, as they are only seen when emergencies occur.

“I will suggest that such an operation should be advertised to the community leaders in future to avert any undue panic, as done in other climes,” he added.

Confirming the exercise, spokesman of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Tunji Oketunbi, denied reports that a plane crashed in Oworonshoki.

According to him, the activity witnessed in the area was due to a mock search and rescue exercise being conducted by the police and aviation authorities. The exercise, he said, involved helicopters and teams of policemen and rescuers.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), also confirmed that the incident was not actually a plane crash, but a training exercise using a dummy plane. General Manager of the agency, Michael Akindele, said “the simulation exercise” was part of emergency preparedness of the National Emergency Management Agency in collaboration with LASEMA and other stakeholders in Lagos State.

According to him, “the exercise is to assess the level of preparedness and identify gaps of emergency responders in the case of plane crash or related emergency in Lagos.”

He explained that the exercise would also help to assist in the areas such as coordination, response time, capacity building and the use of equipment and personnel during emergencies/disaster.

Agencies involved in the exercise included NEMA, LASEMA, LASAMBUS, LASTMA, Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Waterway Authority.

Others were NAMA, NIMASA, Nigeria Police, RRS, NSCDC, FRSC, Nigeria Air Force, Nigeria Navy, and the local divers.