Ambulances, fire trucks and airport personnel will come together Saturday to test the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport’s emergency response systems.
“Being prepared for an emergency is a responsibility we take very seriously at Leahy BTV,” Director of Aviation Nic Longo said in an airport press release. “While we hope we never have to put these plans into action, this simulation allows us to work side by side with our fantastic emergency response partners, test our readiness, and learn how we can be even better prepared to protect our travelers, employees, and community.”
The simulation, required every three years by the Federal Aviation Administration, is designed as a drill to test and improve the airport’s procedures for emergency response, communication and coordination with regional agencies.
The exercise will include 10-15 ambulances, many fire departments, the Airport Fire and Rescue Team and community volunteers who will be acting out an emergency scenario, Jeff Bartley, the airport’s director of innovation and marketing, said in an interview.
The simulation is planned to start at 9 a.m. and finish at noon.
The exercise is designed to be intense, Bartley said, with colored smoke and actors with heavy makeup to simulate injuries. But it’s also designed in a way that will not interfere with regular airport and community procedures.
“You won’t see fire trucks screaming through the communities,” Bartley said. “They’re staged here, and they’re allowed onto the airfield in timed format.”
Bartley noted that ambulances simulating transport to hospitals in the surrounding area for emergency victims will not use sirens or lights during the exercise.
The simulation will occur on the opposite side of the airfield so as not to affect travelers.
“They might not even see the exercise,” Bartley said.
The simulation also includes a debrief with all involved parties to discuss aspects of the response that worked well and areas that could be improved, Bartley said.
There will even be a mock press conference with local media.
“We’re stress testing not just the emergency response but our internal emergency communications,” Bartley said. “We’re not posting on social media like we really would, but we’re internally practicing.”
More than 200 community members signed up to volunteer for the event, Bartley said in the airport press release.
“Their support not only allows us to create a realistic exercise, but also enables other organizations, such as our local first responders and hospitals, to test their own systems and readiness,” Bartley said.
