Boise Airport to Complete Disaster Exercise Today
The Boise Airport is required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to hold a full scale emergency exercise every three years. The airport exercises simulate an aircraft crash on the airfield to test the preparedness of our community to handle a major aviation accident.
This will be a staged scenario played out over a condensed timeline, the action will appear genuine, complete with a smoking aircraft and volunteers made up to simulate injured persons and distraught 'family' members.
The official scenario is described as...
A 737-800 aircraft carrying 120 passengers and five crew members is headed to Boise. The aircraft lands on runway 28L/10R, which is closed due to construction. The aircraft crashes into construction equipment and a fire breaks out over the right wing of the aircraft. There are multiple injuries and fatalities.
The exercise will take place today, Wednesday, May 25 from 11am – 3pm on the airport training strip (3rd runway) south of Gowen Road. There will also be elements of the exercise that take place in the terminal, including the ticket counter, conference rooms, and other public areas.
There will be actors participating as volunteers, so if you happen to be near the area, do not be alarmed.