An aeronautical search and rescue (SAR) plan, which is being promulgated to unify response efforts by the authorities to aircraft incidents, is nearing fruition.
The document is being prepared by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) via inputs from other national stakeholders. The National Search and Rescue Committee, which is chaired by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, is overlooking the compilation of the plan and an open forum is being considered for members of the public and concerned bodies to comment and make inputs.
The draft document, which was seen by this newspaper, details the requirements of the plan and the roles of relevant organisations in response to emergencies. Other organisations, in addition to the GCAA, which will be involved in the planning of emergency responses depending on the circumstances of the scenario, are the Guyana Fire Service, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), and local and international airline representatives, among others.
Additional support will be provided by the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Ministry of Agriculture. The document details procedures for aeronautical search and rescue, inclusive of the organisation, management and coordination of such events.
According to the document, Guyana, being a signatory of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), conforms to the requirements of the umbrella organisations’ Annex 12, entitled “Search and Rescue.”
The civil aviation Rules of the Air and Air Traffic Services’ regulations state that the local aviation authority shall arrange for the establishment and provision of search and rescue services within its search and rescue region. It is therefore incumbent upon the state of Guyana to provide Search and Rescue Services to aircraft operating within the Georgetown Flight Information Region.
The GCAA has been playing the role of coordinator of any SAR operation while the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has been primarily executing the operations over the years. However, according to the document, the GDF alone does not have adequate resources for responses towards the search for and saving of lives. Private aircraft owners and operators have been playing a vital role in SAR while it was noted that governmental and non-governmental organisations shall be called upon, when necessary, to ensure the execution of a SAR mission.
Aeronautical SAR activities include, but are not limited to, the process of locating, missing, overdue or downed aircraft as well as extricating and providing initial medical treatment to persons involved in aircraft incidents or accidents in the areas outside the perimeter of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and the Ogle Airport.
The CJIA and Ogle Airport Emergency plans include procedures applicable to aircraft incidents and accidents in the vicinity of, and on airports, the document noted.
