Air Disaster Training for BU Students

13 March 2007

“Crashed aeroplane” at the centre of the investigation

BU students use air crash simulation to test their crime scene investigation and disaster recovery skills.

A crashed plane near the runway of Bournemouth International Airport ignites.

Casualties are visible as the Airport Fire Service rushes to the scene, smothering the flames in foam and securing the site.

The bodies aren’t real and the fire is easily contained but ‘Exercise March Hare’ is as close to the real thing that BU students will get until they start their careers in crime scene investigation or disaster recovery.

The one-day activity provides a practical demonstration and hands-on experience for students who must don the familiar ‘white suits’ and set a cordon around the scene.

Using a search grid, they gather evidence amongst the debris, recording the ‘disaster’ before lifting realistic human remains and moving them to a holding area.

The exercise was part of the course for Masters students in Forensic Archaeology and Forensic & Biological Anthropology.

It will be followed by a similar event for undergraduate Forensic and Crime Scene Science students, as well as those enrolled on international courses run by our Disaster Management Centre.

“Emergency planning, disaster management and disaster victim identification are all growing areas of graduate employment and application of multi-disciplinary forensic expertise,” said Ian Hanson, lecturer in Forensic Archaeology who manages the activity.

“The exercise provides an opportunity for collaboration between professional agencies and elements of the University that can provide professional development, information exchange, practical training, research collaboration and development and testing of processes and SOP’s,” he continued.

“They also provide scope for larger joined up exercises between the BU schools and professional agencies such as the Bournemouth Airport Fire Service to practically investigate disaster response from the perspective of media, technology, mass casualty and forensic investigation.”

Students gather round the plane at the end of the exercise for debriefing

A longer air crash scenario will be one of the BU short course forensic simulations run this summer for BU, UK and International students as practical training exercises.

Contact consci@bournemouth.ac.uk for more information.