Emergency Response Drill to be Held at Hilo Airport

Hilo International Airport will serve as the staging area for a full-scale emergency response exercise on Oct. 25 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Flight operations will continue as normal during the exercise with no impact to arriving or departing flights.

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, according to a press release from Hawai‘i Department of Transportation. The exercise tests and evaluates the operational capacity of emergency response in a stress environment. The exercise is accomplished every three years.

HDOT alerts the public there will be large amounts of people on the airport property and the exercise may include triage, treatment and transportation of patients using emergency response vehicles with lights and sirens on. The scenarios are designed to look realistic, however this is a drill and not a real-life emergency.

Participating agencies include HDOT Airports Division staff, HDOT Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting units, Securitas, FAA, TSA, the Hawaii Army National Guard, County of Hawaii Fire Department, Disaster Medical Assistance Teams, Civilian Emergency Response Team, Emergency Medical Services, Hilo Medical Center, Hawaiian Airlines personnel and community volunteers.