News · 10 November Major emergency services exercise
On Thursday 19 November, a large-scale exercise will take place at Schiphol. Various emergency services, crisis response organisations and airport partners will train for a major security incident scenario at the airport. As a result, you may see and hear more emergency services than usual around Schiphol that day. This activity is part of the exercise.
Participants in the exercise include personnel from the police and Special Interventions Unit, fire brigade, ambulance services, Ministry of Defence, Schiphol, KLM, the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, Safety Region Kennemerland and other organisations.
Visible activity
The exercise will take place in the secured airport area (airside) and will focus on an incident involving and surrounding an aircraft. Although the exercise is being conducted behind Schiphol's security fences, some elements may be visible from public roads.
Residents, road users and travellers may notice an unusually large number of emergency response vehicles on the move that day. Special police vehicles may also travel between different exercise locations using flashing lights and sirens. These vehicle movements are part of the exercise.
Not a real incident
The purpose of the exercise is to allow emergency services and crisis response partners to train realistically for a complex scenario that requires intensive cooperation. By exercising together on a regular basis, emergency responders, authorities and crisis organisations remain prepared for major incidents and disasters.
Why conduct an exercise?
In the event of a major incident, many organisations must work together simultaneously. Regular joint exercises help emergency services and crisis partners coordinate more effectively, exchange information more quickly and respond more efficiently when a real emergency occurs.
The exercise has been carefully planned and coordinated with Schiphol, KLM and the participating emergency services. Every effort is being made to minimise any disruption to travellers, airport users, local residents and Schiphol's day-to-day operations.