Air crash rescue services slated

Press, 20 February 1980, Page 1

Air crash rescue services slated

CA Wellington The controller of New Zealand’s fire brigades — the Fire Services Commission — yesterday told the Commission of Inquiry into Airport Crash Rescue Services of deficiencies in rescue services. The commission said that: — There was no clear authority on who should call and conduct exercises for airport crash rescue services; — Proper training exercises might be delayed, and even never occur, because airport managements did not like flight schedule disruptions; — Some airports no longer bothered to tell local district fire brigades about possible emergencies; — Mandatory warnings

of possible air crashes were sometimes never passed from airports to local fire brigades — firemen had later read of alerts in newspapers; — Ground safety committees based at Auckland, Wellington,. and Christchurch airports were big and unwieldy and met too infrequently. Many members could make no contribution to immediate safety problems. The commission urged the establishment of an independent organisation with the power to suspend flying, at 'airports which did not meet safety standards. All incidents involving aircraft, even if they did not. require the attendance of city fire brigades, should still be notified to the brigades, it said. The commission also said that airport control towers should install crash but-

tons directly linked to local fire brigades. In a separate submission’ to the inquiry yesterday, Auckland’s regional fire brigade commander, Mr A. W. Bruce, said that a long history of confused command affected the performance of crash rescue services at Auckland Airport. Mr Bruce said that a clash had occurred between city and airport firemen last year when an Air New Zealand Friendshfp crashed into the Manukau Harbour. The crash prompted the inquiry. Auckland’s metropolitan fire brigade, responding to help airport firemen, was prevented from going to the crash scene on arrival at the airport. The delay lasted 10 minutes, in spite of an- executive fire officer’s repeated requests for entry, Mr Bruce said.