Triennial airport training and simulation exercise to be held Aug. 2
INDIANAPOLIS—Indianapolis International Airport (IND) will conduct a full-scale emergency training exercise Thursday. The exercise, required under Federal Aviation Administration Regulation Part 139, serves as the triennial demonstration of its emergency operations plan.
In addition to the airport’s fire and rescue team, law enforcement officers, public safety, security, and other personnel will take part in the learning experience. Critical functions such as command and control, rescue methods and procedures, and processing injured victims will be assessed.
Chief Rick Gentry, head of the airport’s fire and rescue team, reports the goal is to simulate a real-world aircraft incident and evaluate the operational capability of the airport’s emergency response plan. All personnel having duties and responsibilities related to implementing the plan will be on hand to complete their assignments.
More than 100 volunteer “victims,” with make-up simulating minor to fatal injuries, will be placed on the aircraft or near the accident scene for extraction, triage, treatment, and/or transport. Victims will include walking wounded, non-ambulatory, and deceased. Volunteers serving as concerned “family members” will be stationed at a near-by assistance center to await information about the condition / location of “relatives.” Other volunteers assist with injury simulation, registration, and logistics.
Local resources, equipment, and personnel will be mobilized and deployed. Mutual aid responders are expected to include the American Red Cross, local hospitals, and township, city, and state fire and police agencies, including:
- Wayne Township Fire Department
- Decatur Township Fire Department
- Indianapolis Fire Department
- Plainfield Fire Department
- Mooresville Fire Department
- Brown Township Fire Department
- Indiana State Police
- Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
- Plainfield Police Department
- Marion County Emergency Management
The Vincennes University Aviation Technology Center has provided a fully functioning 108-passenger Boeing 737–222 aircraft for the exercise.
Managing an aviation incident with the potential for mass casualties requires special training and the cooperative efforts of many responders, notes Airport Police Department Chief Bill Reardon. IND’s emergency management team and mutual aid responders are among the state’s most skilled in this area.
The FAA mandates rigorous training for all aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) personnel at certified airports. The Indianapolis Airport Fire Department far exceeds the minimally required hours of annual training. The curriculum and live drills focus on topics like aircraft familiarization, safety procedures, emergency communication systems, aircraft evacuation, and aircraft cargo hazards.