Saturday, April 12th: Full-scale disaster exercise at the Lehigh Valley International Airport (KABE) in Allentown, Pennsylvania

2014 Triennial Emergency Preparedness Exercise

What is the Emergency Preparedness Exercise

A full-scale disaster exercise of the Lehigh Valley International Airport Emergency Plan will take place Saturday, April 12, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.  The purpose of the exercise is for local emergency organizations to gain practice and preparedness for a mutual aid response in the event of a major aircraft disaster.

The exercise will test the airport’s emergency response while providing hands-on training to airport personnel, local jurisdictions and other emergency personnel.  During the exercise, emergency personnel will respond as in a real emergency, including the use of sirens, firefighting and rescue equipment.

The exercise will be held in the secure airfield operations area and will not affect normal airport operations or flights, however it will involve a certain amount of smoke.  As a result, vehicle drivers traveling on Airport Road between Race Street and City Line Road may see smoke rising from the airfield.  In addition, there will be multiple emergency vehicles in and around the Airport as part of the exercise.

This full-scale emergency preparedness exercise, which is the culmination of months of planning and coordination across multiple jurisdictions and disciplines, is mandated by the FAA to ensure airports are prepared for real-life aircraft emergencies.  Airports are required by the FAA to conduct these exercises every 3 years.

Read more here:   http://www.flylvia.com