Table-Top Test — Emergency Preparedness & Response Plan
Mercury Travel Ltd — Franz Josef Glacier Valley Walk. A documented table-top exercise testing the emergency plan against a storm and no-contact scenario.
Exercise details
- Activity
- Franz Josef Glacier Valley Walk (DOC-approved track)
- Scenario
- "No-Contact Deadline Emergency" — storm hits and group stranded
- Date of exercise
- 25 November 2025
- Participants
- Mark Abraham (Technical Adviser), Operations Manager, Ravit Abraham
- Legal requirement
- SMSR 2023 Section 6.1 — the operator must test and review the emergency preparedness and response plan to ensure it is workable and effective for the activities and operating environment.
Scenario summary
A wholesale group of 14 clients and 1 Mercury Travel guide departed the Franz Josef Glacier Valley car park at 09:15 for the standard 2–3 hour return walk to the terminal face on the DOC-approved track. Severe weather moves in and the group misses its no-contact deadline.
Response timeline
| Time | Action | Who | Details / rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 | No-contact deadline triggered | Duty Manager (base) | Automatic alert on shared WhatsApp. |
| 12:32 | Activate Level 1 response | Duty Manager | Call guide's and driver's mobiles. No reply → proceed. |
| 12:35 | Notify Mark Abraham (Technical Adviser) | Duty Manager | Mark is on the 24/7 emergency contact list. |
| 12:38 | Send runner vehicle to car park | On-duty manager at the group's hotel | Confirms group vehicle still present, no one at car park. |
| 12:42 | Activate Level 2 — external support | Mark Abraham | Phone Franz Josef DOC Visitor Centre (03 752 0796) — advise possible overdue party. |
| 12:45 | Call Police Search & Rescue | Mark Abraham | Non-emergency line → SAR log created (standard protocol for the glacier valley). |
| 12:48 | Activate SOS (if not already) | Guide (if able) or Mark remotely | Exact GPS coordinates of the guide's device transmitted to Police / rescue helicopter. |
| 13:10 | Police confirm helicopter scramble | Alpine Cliff Rescue / Greenlea Rescue Helicopter | Typical response time from Hokitika/Greymouth ≈ 25–35 minutes in bad weather. |
| 13:25 | Group located (most common real outcome) | Second guide or helicopter | Usually found sheltering 1.2 km from the car park. Escorted or winched out if the river crossing is unsafe. |
| 14:00 | All safe — debrief & client care | Mark + team | Hot drinks, dry clothes at Franz Josef, welfare check, and incident report filed the same day. |
Outcome of the exercise
- The plan worked exactly as written.
- Total time from trigger to external SAR activation: 18 minutes.
Improvement actions identified
- Confirm with the hotel that in an emergency senior management can travel to the car park.
- Require all guides to send an "all good" message once they arrive back at the bus.
Conclusion
This table-top test confirms the emergency plan is workable, effective and fully compliant with SMSR 2023 Section 6.1 for the Franz Josef Glacier Valley Walk operating environment.
Signed off: Mark Abraham — Technical Adviser, Mercury Travel Ltd, 25 November 2025.
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