A multi-agency exercise was held yesterday to test Gibraltar’s preparedness in the event of an air emergency being declared.

The tabletop exercise was jointly organised by the Office of Civil Contingencies, Airport Fire and Rescue Service and RAF Gibraltar. Over 40 attendees from the each of the Emergency Services, other responding agencies and the military took part on the exercise which was held at Bleak House and simulated two different scenarios involving a crash on the airfield and a crash at sea.

As part of the training progression, plans are in place to conduct a Live Exercise involving all levels of command by the end of this year.

The Minister responsible for Civil Contingencies, Samantha Sacramento, said: “Rehearsing plans and procedures are crucial to ensure that our Emergency Services and other responding agencies are best prepared to respond to a major incident. Training events and exercises such as these test the interoperability of all responding agencies at the operational, tactical and strategic command levels. The success of any response will largely depend on people knowing exactly what they need to do, having the right capabilities and their ability to work collaboratively with the common goal of saving lives. Regular training and exercises are therefore a must.”