Bradley International Airport Having Emergency Drill Saturday

The following information is provided by a press release:

Bradley International Airport will serve as the staging area for a multi-faceted drill designed to simulate an aircraft accident at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, September 22. 

The simulated drill will occur at an area adjacent to Route 75 commonly referred to as the “Field of Champions”, the Connecticut sports teams’ “Welcome Home” site.  Bradley Airport Administration, Operations, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF), Security, and Maintenance personnel will coordinate the practice drill along with the assistance of local, state, and federal emergency services agencies.

Residents of surrounding towns as well as visitors to Bradley should be aware that there will be many emergency vehicles near the “Field of Champions” location. This is standard for this type of drill _  it is not an actual emergency _ and
there is no reason for concern. 

Motorists are advised that Light Lane, between the Army Guard facility and Schoephoester Road, will be closed during the simulation.

The mock drill, which will involve the active participation of as many as 25 different emergency response agencies, must be performed every three years as a requirement of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) airport certification.

 There are 3 main goals that will be the focus of this simulation:
1)      Implementation of the Airport’s Emergency Plan.
2)      Management and evaluation of Bradley’s Mass Casualty Plan by the Airport’s ARFF staff and its mutual aid partners.
3)      Command, control, and communications among the various emergency agencies.

“Since safety and security are the number one priority of the CAA, this training exercise will benefit numerous stakeholders including our customers utilizing Bradley International Airport, airport employees, our partners in the surrounding communities, as well as various federal, state, and local emergency response agencies,” Connecticut Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin A. Dillon, said.

Airport Administrator Eric N. Waldron, A.A.E., ACE states, “Bradley’s response to this realistic drill is an excellent tool for the entire Airport and surrounding communities to practice and assess their ability to respond to an actual aircraft emergency.”

Bradley Fire Chief John Duffy adds, “This simulated drill is the culmination of many months of coordination and planning by a variety of agencies and airport staff.”