3 ‘dead' in BSP blast drill
By Huraizah Ahmad & James Kon

Firefighters rescue one of the workers.	Two workers lie "injured" near the damage pipeline.
Fire Dept personnel stretcher a victim off to safety.	Medics from RIPAS tend to an "injured" worker.
Firefight continues at the scene.	Smoke bellows from the "burst" pipeline.

"Four Persons injured and three dead."

That was the scenario of the exercise "Helang 2" conducted by the Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP) yesterday morning at the Gadong Metering Station.

150 personnel from various emergency units took part in the integrated exercise which was held at the Bandar Gas Operation at the Gadong metering station along Jln Tungku Link and Jln Gadong in Kg Gadong Estate and Rimba Horticulture Centre.

The live exercise affected various emergency mobilisation units such as BSP Emergency Services (BSP Bomba and Ambulance) and Government Emergency services such as Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Fire Services Department, Royal Brunei Police Force, and several medical personnel from Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital (RIPAS). BSP contractors and the media were also at the scene.

The scenario of the exercise was that a crane had accidentally fallen on top of a gas pipeline, which resulted in 3 persons dead and four injured. The crane also damaged the pipeline, which ruptured and caused an explosion at the site.

The main objectives of the exercise were to test the integrated response and coordination between different facilities in BSP as well as to test response times and communication at different levels of coordination within BSP and other relevant Government agencies. The various emergency units had to respond by ensuring the containment of the site as well as the evacuation of personnel and injured people.

The significance of another major corporate exercise conducted by the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) authorities for this year was revealed during a post-mortem discussion conducted immediately after the exercise. General response from all the parties involved was outstanding, with problems occurring during the exercise thoroughly discussed and outlined so that each agency would be better prepared in the event of a real occurrence.

The uniqueness of the exercise was in the participation of the media, who not only covered the event but also took part in the role-play.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin