Syracuse airport to conduct emergency drill this Saturday

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Hancock International Airport will hold a “full-scale,” emergency-response drill this Saturday.

The drill is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated exercise, the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) said in a news release issued Tuesday.

The FAA requires the drill every three years, the SRAA said.

It seeks to exercise the airport’s emergency plan, bringing together “support and resources” from the airlines, Transportation Security Administration, various local law-enforcement agencies and fire departments, air-traffic control, the Red Cross, and other first responders and mutual aid organizations.

While the first responders are attending to the incident out on the airfield, airport management, airline managers, and various other key individuals will be in the airport’s emergency-response center.

The public and passengers may notice additional emergency response traffic, law-enforcement presence, and about 75 volunteers that will play the role of victims during the drill, the SRAA said.

In preparation for the drill on Saturday, the airport’s aircraft rescue and firefighting division will be out performing live fire training throughout the week, “so flames and smoke may be visible from the airport during this time,” according to the SRAA.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com