Reaction Plan

As promised - Part Two of the anecdote.

Basically, I aim to show that there are many ways to skin a cat.

Well, it turns out that the stripey had the 'real' story, the problem being that the hard stand the chopper was now chewing up with its rotors was located in front and off to the side of the public entrance to the terminal and surrounded by car parking areas. When the chopper had tipped over the blades shot off alarmingly slicing into about a dozen cars and the frontage of the terminal building.

This was very quickly established by the first unit attending as they were not airside at the RVP, where they would have had no view of the incident given that it is the other side of the runway and airport. A quick check to see no-one was injured and then brief contact with some shaky airport staff, customers and car owners and suddenly the decision is made for all and sundry to go to the RVP as it is now a declared 'ground incident'. Puzzled onlookers ponder the disappearance en masse of all the blues and twos.

Anyhow it all resolves itself and the Polis slowly return to the terminal to chat to the staff and car owners about their damaged vehicles. Matter closed. Or so you might think.

Well not quite. Pondering the scenarios, those blessed with retrospective 20-20 vision decided to pick the bones of the incident and criticise the Polis for sending abidy to the terminal area for an aircraft incident and decide Noddy is to be blamed for not activating the correct procedure and not sending them to the RVP. Bloody marvellous. I must remember to dust off my crystal ball. I patiently explained the circumstances that being that at no time during the initial call and my interrogation of the caller and airport authorities did they mention something happening within the confines of the airport termed as airside. Therefore the incident had to be responded to as if it was at any similar public place and you 'go see', however much that puts you near to danger. After all that's our job isn't it to protect life and property? Apparently this didn't wash well with the far-sighted one's who decreed that any such incident should have been responded to by use of an action plan which RVP'd the response. I cannot see how that made sense even today.

Me angry?


Picture Glesga now. All the blues and two's somewhere over the other side of the airport waiting for the 'Smeatonator' and the general public to banjo the perpetrators before they turn up, eventually, once everybody gets the picture nice and clear. Sometimes you have to react to what you see and wing it. Best laid plans and all that......


© Mr Plod
Published by Toy Town™ Times