Emergency exercise prepares responders for flight-related incidents at Purdue University Airport
Firefighters with the Purdue University Fire Department participate in an emergency response exercise at the Purdue University Airport on June 16. Photo provided by Administrative Operations Communications.
The Office of Emergency Preparedness recently coordinated a full-scale emergency response exercise at the Purdue University Airport. The exercise, the first of its kind held at the airport, simulated a flight-related emergency and tested fire and rescue operations.
The exercise included 40 Purdue faculty and staff volunteers acting as passengers, helping create a realistic training environment for first responders. The drill was a collaborative effort among the Office of Emergency Preparedness, Airport Operations, the Purdue University Fire Department (PUFD), the Purdue University Police (PUPD), Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), the Purdue Public Safety Dispatch Center, SkyWest and mutual aid partners, including the West Lafayette Fire Department and Wabash Township Fire Department.
Due to the higher-capacity 50-passenger flights offered by United Express and SkyWest starting Aug. 5, a full-scale exercise like this will be conducted every three years per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements.
“This full-scale exercise allows the many departments involved in public safety to come together in a manner that simulates a real response,” said Jefferson Howells, director of Emergency Preparedness. “Coordinating an exercise of this magnitude not only provides practice for our departments, it can potentially save lives.”
The Office of Emergency Preparedness, Airport Operations, PUFD, PUPD and EHS are all part of Administrative Operations, which supports the university by providing safe, reliable and transformative services. Coordinating emergency exercises like this is one of the many ways the organization powers Purdue.