Gran Canaria’s southernmost municipality, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, is set become the scene for an aerial accident simulation drill exercise. The #Canasar 2019 maneuvers, carried out by the Air Force through the Canary Islands Rescue Coordination Centre, belonging to the SAR, are to be held on April 10 at an as of yet unknown location.

The civil authorities value this type of exercise, essential for all emergency departments so as to be in optimal readiness to act when necessary,  in itself a signal to citizens that they are in permanent training.

photo courtesy of Salvamento Marítimo

After the accident, the emergency signal received from the Air Traffic Control Centre, the Canary Islands RCC, will alert all the competent departments in the matter of emergencies. Shortly thereafter, the a radio beacon activation warning will be sent by the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite via the Canary Islands Space Centre in Maspalomas and will subsequently be received in the RCC, confirming an alarm and indicating exactly where the accident has occurred. From this moment and with the scenario already established,  events will develop as if it were a real situation, provoking daytime search and rescue maneuvers between aircraft from the Air Force, Maritime Rescue and Canary Islands Government.

Simulation in 2018 at Gran Canaria airport

The scenario will affect a land area of at least 2 km2 and later the hospitals will start to recieve casulties, at both the Dr. Negrín in Las Palms, via its helipad and the Hospital San Roque Maspalomas by road, as well as the Maspalomas Health Centre. All this activity will integrate the resources of emergencies in the Canary Islands. Likewise, at Gran Canaria airport, the attention will simulated for relatives of the victims of this supposed accident.

Students and professors of different institutes and other entities will also participate for the staging of the simulation and its observation. The event will be attended by international observers, from the SAR Rescue Services of Portugal, Senegal, Morocco, Cape Verde, Mauritania and the Ivory Coast.

Simulated plane accident on 10 April in Maspalomas, no reason to worry, it’s just a drill !