The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital is preparing a 24-hour specialist response vehicle to cope with a major disaster in Bermuda.

The hi-tech van will be loaded up with equipment for an emergency medical centre or field hospital.

A top doctor revealed it would remain on round-the-clock standby after a major crash exercise at Bermuda International Airport yesterday.

Dr. Edward Schultz, who runs the hospital's casualty department, was one of 200 emergency and medical staff who took part in the airport operation.

They were told a Boeing 767 had crash-landed en route from Newark, New Jersey, with 147 people on board.

In briefing sessions, airport chiefs said 18 people died, 39 were seriously hurt and there were 90 walking wounded.

Firefighters battled real flames on the airfield, Police commanded a control centre and medical teams treated pretend casualties after the fake crash at 7.45 a.m. Dr. Schultz said: "We had to set up a field hospital, known as an advanced medical post, in the NATO hangar.

"It actually took us 15 minutes just to unload all the equipment from two ambulances. That certainly wouldn't have been ideal in the event of a real emergency.

"But the hospital now has a vehicle which is going to be converted to transport all this equipment.

"It will all be gear for an advanced medical post, just in case of a plane crash or a cruise ship fire.

"The vehicle is still being set up and it is being used by another part of the hospital but it will soon be on 24-hour standby to cope with any real emergency.'' He said airport and Fire Service chiefs were also considering buying inflatable tents, to help medics set up a temporary hospital on the airfield.

"The last exercise was in February and we had 40 would-be casualties lying on the ground in the wet,'' he said.

"That just isn't on if they have heart problems, chest injuries or other wounds.

"There are certainly lessons we can learn from operations like this.

Communications is one of them. We definitely needed more radios.

"We also learned that emergency response is very complex and needs lots of practice. It took us too long to unload the equipment, for instance. But this was an artificial situation and it will be much easier when the response vehicle is converted.'' Two back-to-back buses at the junction of Taxiway Foxtrot and Runway 1230 represented the crashed plane.

A fire was started in barrels surrounding the buses and a smoke generator was set off inside to simulate a huge blaze.

Airport-based crash fire rescue teams were on scene within three minutes.

Ambulances, Police and fire engines from Clearwater Beach arrived within 15 minutes and more fire crews from Hamilton were on scene minutes later.

A full report on each agency's response will be filed later in the week.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority was also kept informed about the exercise and will be notified of the results.

Continental Airlines' Bermuda-based executive, Steven Darrell, played the role of general manager of "Tropic Airlines'', whose Bermuda-bound flight Tropic 595 "crashed'' despite perfect weather conditions.

He said Continental were now starting monthly safety briefings with airport bosses.

Jack Gordon, General Manager for the Department of Airport Operations, said: "This was an extremely useful exercise which teaches everybody a lot of things.

"What we do know is that we could handle an emergency. But there are so many issues to get to grips with.

"For instance, we stated that the plane could not have been moved for 24 hours while crash investigators were on scene.

"It would have been another six hours after that before the runway could have opened, because of a fake contaminated oil spill. These are all things we need to prepare for and each agency involved will receive a breakdown report of the things they did right or wrong.'' FULL-SCALE EMERGENCY--More than 200 firefighters, Police and medical staff took part in an air crash exercise at Bermuda International Airport yesterday.

Crash fire rescue teams and Bermuda Fire Service tackled real flames around two back-to-back buses, which represented the crashed plane.

STRETCHED TO THE LIMIT -- Doctors, nurses and ambulance crews carry off a pretend casualty after a major plane crash exercise at the airport.

AIRPORT FLY