Beachhead Collection Point concept tested in Netherlands exercise

Search and collection is the first important stage of an operation to actively mitigate the effects of oil on marine wildlife. Rehabilitation takes place in specially designed facilities – but what needs to happen before that to collect and take the animals to those facilities? This was the focus of an exercise recently held in the Netherlands, to practice the concept of the Beachhead Collection Point (BCP).
The exercise took place in Westkapelle, Zeeland on the 9th of November, as part of the multi-annual Rijkswaterstaat preparedness programme based on the Dutch National Oiled Wildlife Response Plan (or Samenwerkingsregeling afhandeling Besmeurde Vogels – SBV). The plan describes an approach for animals being rehabilitated in permanent facilities and, if those are overwhelmed, in temporary tent-based facilities. Facility response has been practiced several times already in the Netherlands, but this was the first time that setting up a Beachhead Collection Point was tested.
A Beachhead Collection Point (BCP) is a location on the coast where people and resources are brought together to collect stranded live and dead birds from a defined coastal area in a safe, coordinated and efficient way. The exercise was designed to explore and master this concept, providing insight into its function and the associated planning and logistics.
Sea Alarm and EUROWA member SON-Respons organized the event, and the Veiligsheidregio Zeeland, as well as senior crisis managers from Rijkswaterstaat, were present as observers. A key objective was to show what a BCP looks like, how it functions, how to set up, manage and close it down once animals are transported away to a rehabilitation facility.
Teams of responders of rescue centres Vogelklas Karel Schot and De Wulp simulated capture activities on the beach using bird dummies and ‘Roboduck’ took centre stage in a demonstration of capture techniques on the beach and on dikes by Wildlife Rescue Centre Ostend and Reddings Team Zeedieren. Responders of rescue centre De Mikke and a veterinarian from SON-Respons also practiced field stabililsation of captured birds and preparing them for their transport to rehabilitation facilities.
The exercise was an important opportunity for Dutch authorities and responders to observe the set up, operation and management of a Beachhead Collection Point. After the exercise, the participants and observers were asked to share their reflections on the day and give suggestions for areas that could be improved or further developed. This will help develop a more detailed protocol for search and collection of oiled seabirds in which safety for humans and animals and limiting damage on the surrounding environment are paramount.
Photo credit: Will Leurs