HNL to Hold Aircraft Disaster Exercise, Oct. 20

The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport will be a staging area for an emergency response exercise on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017.

New signage displaying Daniel K. Inouye International Airport has been installed on the Airports Division District Office Tower and above the roadway signs at the entrance of the facility. Photo Courtesy: HDOT

The exercise is a mandatory certification requirement by the Federal Aviation Administration which tests airfield disaster preparedness and response by simulating a full-scale aircraft emergency disaster.

The exercise tests and evaluates the operational capacity of emergency response in a stress environment.

The multi-agency exercise will last from 8 a.m. until noon, utilizing hundreds of volunteers from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Hawai‘i Pacific University, Chaminade University, and airport personnel, who act as injured passengers.

Hawai‘i Department of Transportation would like to alert the public that there will be realistic scenarios portraying injured people on the airport property and may include fire, fire suppression, rescue, triage, treatment and transportation using emergency response vehicles.

Flight operations will continue as normal during the exercise with no impact to scheduled flights.

Participating agencies include HDOT Airports Division staff, HDOT Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting units, Securitas, FAA, TSA, City & County of Honolulu Fire and Police Departments, Emergency Medical Services, American Medical Response, Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam Federal Fire Department, US Coast Guard, Hawai‘i Department of Public Safety and airline personnel.

HDOT would like to alert the public that tomorrow’s events are a drill and not a real life emergency.