Emergency Exercise at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport

A mock emergency exercise was staged at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport this morning. News 25’s Austin Lindsey shares how first responders are practicing in response to the unthinkable.

With the uncertainty of a mass casualty event happening at any time, it is important that emergency relief agencies stay prepared, and they are doing just that at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport.

Harrison County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said, “It’s one of those things we practice and we never want to do. We never want an aircraft to go down or have to deal with having to do in the mass casualty. We just don’t want to do that, but we want to be prepared to do that. If it does happen, we want the flying public to know that we’re here for them.”

Pafford EMS Operational Manager Kyle Carter said, “We come out here with that same idea that we all have one goal in mind and that’s patient care, and then everything else we can handle it after.”

Over 10 emergency agencies participated in a mock airplane crash under the Federal Aviation Administration requirements. The exercise allows the airport and first responders to evaluate emergency response systems already in place and see if things need to be refined in certain procedures. Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport Director of Operations Casey Lyons said, “We are required to do a full-scale drill exercise of our emergency plan every three years. So not only are we meeting that requirement today, but it’s also a good time to exercise and to liaison with our first responder partners to make sure that they’re familiar with the airport.”

CRTC Chief Demetrius Baldwin said, “We have to train to it and the number of patients obviously can fluctuate anywhere from general aviation, one to two souls on board, to, as you see in this exercise, 50 souls on board. So, in those instances, we got to know how to respond. We got to know how our partners are going to respond. And we have to be able to do all of that together.”

No one is prepared for the unexpected cause of harm, let alone the loss of life, but working together could be the difference between life and death. “The fact that all these agencies can come together work together seamlessly, that is a big part of this training. This will save lives if something bad happens.”