An urgent message rang through Kennedy International Airport in New York City at 10 a.m. on Saturday, signaling a simulated aircraft crash. Details were scant: "Unknown souls on board, unknown fuel on board." The exercise tested the Federal Aviation Administration-mandated coordination among agencies. More than 100 emergency responders from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York Police Department, the New York Fire Department, Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation participated. This was the first full-scale drill at a major New York City-area airport since the deadly La Guardia collision between an Air Canada jet and an airport fire truck in March. Sarah Mc Keon, Port Authority director of aviation, credited frequent training for the effective response, noting all 72 passengers survived but two pilots died in that accident. In a real emergency, "one of the biggest challenges is a safe and orderly response."
A convoy of emergency vehicles descended on a staged crash involving a Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-900 with 102 people aboard. Firefighters and paramedics evacuated passengers down staircases to the tarmac. Officials set up a mobile command center and a reunification point. A smoke machine and a "Snozzle," an extendable arm to deliver firefighting foam inside the fuselage, stood ready. Jason Jankowski, deputy chief of aircraft rescue and firefighting, emphasized the essential collaboration between the Fire Department and ARFF units, having worked side-by-side at La Guardia during the previous accident. The drill aimed to validate emergency plans and inter-agency cooperation.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing