Thank God it was only an exercise

Too late the heroes.

A DC-9 burst into flames after an emergency landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), beating efforts of airport rescuers and firefighters who arrived on the scene 10 minutes too late.

Thank God it was just a rescue drill, or the people who would have been on the flight would have perished.

Ironically, the participants in the exercise, dubbed the 2001 Crash and Rescue Exercise (CREX 2001), including the NAIA’s Fire and Rescue Team, the Philippine National Police’s Aviation Security Group and the airport police had been preparing for the "crash" for the last six months.

But when the "crash" took place yesterday morning in front of the fire station of the Manila International Airport Authority, the fire trucks and ambulances were at least 10 minutes late in responding to the emergency.

The police, who were supposed to cordon off the crash site, were even more tardy, arriving some 15 minutes late at the scene. They were beaten to the draw by onlookers, much to the amusement of local and foreign guests who were invited to witness the exercise.

The "crash" also had its accidental heroes. Organizers failed to inform the Parañaque and Pasay fire stations of the simulated crash, and both sent their respective fire trucks to the scene, only to be told it was all just virtual reality.

If things went according to the script, the following would have been the scenario, according to airport authorities:

"At 1017 H, a DC-9 aircraft with 100 passengers on board contacts the Manila Control Tower requesting for an emergency landing. The aircraft, which is now hovering 20 miles northeast, is experiencing hydraulic trouble. The tower clears the aircraft to land.

"At 1032 H, CREX 2001 makes a landing, swerves and crashes on the right side of the runway on a grassy area, and catches fire. Fire and rescue teams were on the site collecting passengers and giving first aid treatment to victims of the crash, and sending those badly injured to nearby hospitals in ambulances."

The script was a precision response to a given emergency situation. But the way the fire and rescue teams responded, observers heaved a sigh of relief that the whole thing was only just a drill.