Nigerian Flight Deck Travel and Business Reportage
EMERGENCY Operation Centres (EOC) are critical response coordination centres and are meant to be in every aerodrome in the country, the Managing Director Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Captain Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu has revealed.
Captain Yadudu made this known in his office while speaking to reporters said that all the country’s international airports have EOCs as part of aerodrome’s criteria to deal with emergency situations when they arise.
According to the FAAN boss, the reason Kaduna’s was inaugurated recently was because it wasn’t an international airport until of late but stressed that it is key for all airports to have an EOC that can be activated in times of emergencies and deactivated soon after.
Recall, Federal Government about two weeks ago commissioned an EOC at the Kaduna International Airport after the Minister of state, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika directed in 2017 that government must work to ensure the Kaduna Airport becomes a viable and suitable alternative to Abuja
The FAAN boss said, “So far, it’s only international airports that have EOCs, but it is what we should have in every airport. Kaduna airport didn’t have before now, may be because it wasn’t an international airport, but all the airports should have it.”
“The essence is to cater for emergencies like air crash, but terminals and any form of emergencies that may arise where you have casualties. You need to have a place to coordinate emergencies where you can seat down quickly and direct resolutions of the emergencies.
“That’s why it is not usually inside the terminal or airside, but where you can have accessibility to the runway, airside and the terminal; you can see what’s happening, but it’s a bit remote from the terminal building. Whatever that is happening in the terminal, you can easily go there.
“All the airports have aerodrome emergency plan. When you have an emergency, you quickly activate it and call the people that are in charge of such emergency like the fire service, airport manager and others. All these things are spelt out with their leaders.
“Once normalcy is restored, you close the centre. All airports are supposed to have it with competent personnel.
Recall during the inauguration Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Kaduna, the FAAN boss said, “The EOC is a structure we need to make Kaduna a viable alternative to Abuja because where ever you have an airport you must be prepared for an emergency just like we did in Abuja Airport.
This Airport has an aerodrome emergency plan and all aerodrome emergency plans requires by regulation that you must have an EOC, in which in which to launch or start or commence and emergency operation. This is the platform where all emergency operations will be launched
