Los Realejos has become this Wednesday, June 1, the ground scene of the simulated plane crash Canasar 2022which is why the Emergency and Security Coordination Center (Cecoes 112) of the Government of the Canary Islands has asked citizens “not to be alarmed”.
This is a simulation exercise that the Air Force organizes annually by the Canary Islands Air Command. It should be remembered that this exercise, which alternates each year between the Islands, had not been held in Tenerife since 2009.
Since its creation in 1955, the Air Force, through the SAR, has been responsible for organizing and directing search and rescue operations arising from an air accident within the Spanish area of responsibility. This service also cooperates, if necessary, with other security and emergency agencies, in accidents, catastrophes or public calamities.
Throughout its 60 years of presence in the Islands, the SAR has carried out around 6,500 rescue missions, with a balance of more than 3,500 lives rescued.
Accidents that have occurred in recent years highlight the need to be prepared and alert to the possibility of air disasters of these dimensions, since, although infrequent, they are a reality. The scope of the response devices cannot be improvised and it is the objective of this drill that, under the direction of the SAR of the Air Force, responsible for managing the initial response, it is possible to coordinate all the available emergency means with the greatest efficiency. .
The CANASAR 2022 exercise contemplates the mid-air collision of a plane from a national company, shortly after taking off from Los Rodeos airport (Tenerife North) and a military cargo plane that was descending for the same airport. After the alleged collision, the military aircraft attempts to make a splashdown and the ACC (Area Control Center) immediately loses all contact with the aircraft. The military plane tries to return to the departure aerodrome with several mechanical problems, remains in flight consuming fuel and later tries to land in Los Rodeos, but in the end it describes an irregular trajectory and all contact with it is lost north of Tenerife .
With the information available, the ACC of the Canary Islands declares the DETRESFA (danger phase) and the ARCC of the Canary Islands (Coordinating Center for Aeronautical Rescue of the Air Force) proceeds to activate the available resources and alert all the relevant organizations for the resolution of the emergency.
Shortly after, the ARCC will receive the warning of activation of the radio beacons (emergency device) sent by the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite through the Canary Islands Space Center in Maspalomas, confirming the alarm and pinpointing the exact location where the alarm occurred. both accidents.
From this moment and with the scenarios already established, the events will take place as if it were a real situation. Units will be activated at sea and on land, as well as aircraft from the Air Force and ships from the Navy, Maritime Rescue, Civil Guard and Government of the Canary Islands.
The ARCC Canarias will be in charge of the aerial coordination of all the means that will fly over the area and are alerted. In a first phase, this will be carried out from the center itself and, once the accident area has been located, an Air Coordination Team (ACO) will be sent to the scene, which will be integrated into the Advanced Command Post established for this purpose.
The scenario will affect a land area of at least two square kilometers and a maritime area of almost 3,000. The facilities that the Air Force has at Los Rodeos airport, in Tenerife, will be set up as a hospital to receive survivors.
The drill will make it possible to evaluate, in a single global exercise, the reaction capacity and the degree of coordination between emergency centers and their means, in the development of search operations both on land and at sea.
Along with the Search and Rescue Service of the Air Force (SAR), the following organizations and institutions will participate: Government Delegation in the Canary Islands, Tenerife Island Council, Los Realejos City Council, with its emergency services, Navy, Spanish Red Cross , State Maritime Rescue Society (SASEMAR), Civil Guard, National Police, Government of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Security and Emergencies and the Ministry of Health, with CECEOS 112, Emergency and Security Group (GES), Canary Emergency Service (SUC), Tenerife North Airport, Regional Directorate of Air Navigation through the Canary Islands Air Traffic Control Center (ACC Canarias), Canary Islands Space Center (SPMCC Maspalomas), the Civil Aviation Accident Investigation (CIAIAC) and the Military Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission (CITAAM), the Canary Islands Ocean Platform (PLOCAN) and the La Laguna Emergency Vocational Training Center and the El Tope hotel (Puerto de la Cruz).
Likewise, the event will have the presence of international observers, from the SAR Rescue Services of Portugal, Senegal, Morocco, Mauritania and Cape Verde.
