26 JULY 2016 | EMSWORLD.com
FAA mandate tests multi-agency
response to airport emergencies
emergencies
T
he Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates
that airports conduct full-scale tests of their airport
emergency plan (AEP) every three years.
1
Such drills
not only test the AEP, but also create a real-time prac-
tice environment for multi-agency, multijurisdictional
response coordination that would be necessary in the event of an
actual incident. In April 2016, the Richmond International Airport
(RIC) in Virginia conducted its AEP exercise against the challenging
scenario of an incoming plane that had a run-in with a flock of birds,
causing engine failure
As with real incidents, drills such as this require considerable exter-
nal resources in addition to onsite airport fire and rescue assets.
"This gives us an opportunity to work together for our mutual aid
agreement for the metro area and all of our partners to work together
and implement the region's MCI plan," notes John Fitzgerald, aircraft,
rescue & firefighter captain for the Richmond Fire Department.
The exercise itself represented a model of regional cooperation
with attendees from: