BERAKAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Wednesday, 18 October 2023 - An emergency aircraft disaster exercise, known as Exercise BANGAU PUTIH III, was conducted by the Department of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Transportation and Infocommunications, which involving several government and non-government agencies working together to handle an aircraft accident should it ever occur in the vicinity or within 5-kilometres radius from the airport. The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) is one of the government agencies activated by the Department of Civil Aviation, through the Joint Forces Headquarters (JFHQ), to provide emergency assistance in this exercise under the code name 'OPS ANGKASA'.
In this exercise, several units from the RBAF were activated as outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for OPS ANGKASA. These units include Medical and Health Services, Royal Brunei Land Force, as well as the Medical and Health Services Center at the Rimba Air Base, providing medical aid to accident victims. Additionally, the Royal Brunei Air Force's Military Transport Office also provided vehicles to transport lightly injured casualties from the Casualty Management Area (CMA) to the Casualty Clearance Centre (CCC).
Through this exercise, the effectiveness of the SOP OPS ANGKASA is tested, offering an opportunity to identify any weaknesses in the procedures that need improvement. This exercise also allows the RBAF to work closely with government and non-government agencies, aligning with the Whole of Nation Approach as emphasised in the 2021 Defence White Paper.
EKSESAIS BANGAU PUTIH III – OPS ANGKASA
LAPANGAN TERBANG ANTARABANGSA BERAKAS (LTAB), Wednesday 18 Oktober 2023 - Eksesais BANGAU PUTIH III, latihan kecemasan nahas pesawat dijalankan oleh Jabatan Penerbangan Awam, Kementerian Pengangkutan dan Infokomunikasi yang melibatkan beberapa agensi Kerajaan dan bukan Kerajaan yang berganding bahu dalam menangani kemalangan pesawat di dalam atau di lingkungan 5-kilometer daripada LTAB. Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB) adalah salah satu Agensi Kerajaan yang telah diaktifkan oleh Jabatan Penerbangan Awam, melalui Markas Angkatan Bersama untuk memberikan bantuan kecemasan seperti di Prosedur Operasi Standard (SOP) Pelan Kecemasan Lapangan Terbang 2023; OPS ANGKASA.
Dalam latihan ini, beberapa unit ABDB telah diaktifkan sebagaimana yang dinyatakan dalam Prosedur Operasi Standard (SOP) OPS ANGKASA. Antara unit-unit tersebut adalah Markas Khidmat Perubatan dan Kesihatan (MKP&K) Tentera Darat Diraja Brunei (TDDB), KP&K Pangkalan Tentera Udara (PTU) Rimba yang memberikan bantuan perubatan kepada mangsa-mangsa nahas pesawat. Selain itu, Pejabat Kenderaan, Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei (TUDB), juga telah menyediakan bantuan kenderaan untuk mengangkut mangsa-mangsa yang mengalami kecederaan ringan dari Casualty Management Area (CMA) ke Casualty Clearance Centre (CCC).
Melalui latihan ini, keberkesanan SOP OPS ANGKASA dapat diuji dan ia memberikan peluang untuk mengenalpasti sebarang kelemahan dalam prosedur tersebut yang perlu dipertingkatkan. Eksesais ini juga membolehkan ABDB bekerjasama rapat dengan Agensi-Agensi Kerajaan dan bukan kerajaan, selaras dengan pendekatan Seluruh Negara (Whole of Nation Approach), seperti yang ditekankan dalam Kertas Putih Pertahanan 2021.