The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Friday in Abuja conducted simulation exercise to check its level of preparedness for disaster management.

General Manager, North Central, FAAN, Mr Chris Bature, told newsmen that it was recommended by International Civil Aviation Organisation and International Air Transport Association.

He said the Federal Government also supported the exercise due to the concern for emergency issues in the aviation sector.

ature said emergencies were a collective responsibility and should not be left to a single agency to tackle.

The exercise was to help check the level of preparedness to know the strengths and weaknesses of the parastatals in case of emergency,” he said.

“In today’s simulation, earth moving equipment, emergency ambulances, conventional buses and other tools and personnel were on hand for the practice.”

He said inhabitants of communities where crashes occur also play a major role in disaster management.

“For instance, in the ADC aircraft mishap, it was the community that informed us about where exactly it happened,” he said.

He said the exercise was not limited to crash situations as it was extended to security issues like fire outbreak and bomb explosion.

He posited that apart from the paramedic aspect where a little hiccup was witnessed, the exercise was successful.

The mock exercise was conducted in collaboration with Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and FAAN personnel.

Others were the Red Cross, Julius Berger Construction Company, security agencies and handling agents.