Mandatory triennial disaster-preparedness drill at LGB showcases emergency-response personnel, equipment

Long Beach Airport (LGB) officials hosted an emergency drill last week on the local airstrip to test and train first responders to be prepared in the event of a significant disaster.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires disaster-preparedness exercises to be conducted every three years. The drill tested the speed and effectiveness of emergency personnel and LGB staff in the event of an aircraft accident. Airport-industry experts served as evaluators along with oversight from FAA officials.
There is no scoring system that the emergency units must adhere to, according to airport spokesperson Cassie Chauvel. Instead, the evaluators provide comments and observations on the effectiveness of the rescue teams.
In this year’s mock scenario, a C-17 Globemaster III military aircraft experienced a fiery crash landing at the airport.
At the start of the drill, blaring sirens positioned atop the LGB fire department building signaled that a dire situation was taking place on the airstrip. Several emergency vehicles emerged from the fire department’s garage and rushed toward the military craft.
The loading ramp located under the tail of the plane was lowered, and several volunteers, acting as victims, stumbled out and made their way toward the firefighters and paramedics. The scene was chaotic. Volunteers playing victims wore make-up to simulate serious, minor or fatal injuries.
A task force consisting of police, fire, medical and military units tended to at least 100 victims of the simulated crash using real equipment and emergency vehicles.
The drill did not interrupt regularly scheduled commercial flights as it unfolded on the airstrip for approximately two hours.
Commercial airports, such as LGB, must hold such an emergency-drill event every three years to maintain their Part 139 Airport Certification, which allows commercial flights to operate out of the airport, according to a press release from the City.

“All commercial airports that have passenger services have to do an annual exercise,” Long Beach Airport Director Jess Romo told the Signal Tribune.
Romo explained that every three years, the drill has to be conducted live and in front of the media.
“What [the evaluators] do is they, over many months of planning, create a scenario of an emergency that occurs on the airfield in which the worthiness is tested of our firefighting group on the field— the Airport Rescue and Firefighting (ARF) unit— that protects aircraft and specifically protects passengers that will need assistance in the event of an incident on the field,” Romo said.
He added that the ARF coordinates with the Long Beach Fire Department off the airport, the Long Beach Police Department, LGB’s operations staff and other agencies such as hospitals.
Romo explained that during an emergency situation, there is only one person in charge of all the rescue operations. This form of leadership is called the Incident Command Structure, according to the airport director.
“There is one, single person that is in charge of the incident at any given time,” Romo said. “Now, it can change. It can go from being fire to police to LGB operations.”
Long Beach Police Department Chief Robert Luna said the scenario reflects a real emergency that he prays will never happen, however, the department needs to be prepared in the event of a disaster.
“We want to make sure that anybody who flies to the Long Beach Airport understands that the people in this city, and this airport, are prepared for any contingency that may happen,” Luna said.