GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority underwent two days of training exercises this week.
Training started Monday and wrapped up Tuesday.
It included a Full-Scale Exercise Tuesday morning, which simulates an emergency event and evaluates the emergency response plans.
19 agencies and about 200 people participated in the exercise, including first responders and volunteers.
First responders had to extinguish fires, support volunteers simulating injuries, direct responders and more.
“Simulating an emergency event is integral for our team and mutual aid partners to be equipped with the necessary protocols for an emergency response plan,” Airport Authority Fire Chief Tony Gutierrez said. “It’s important that we continuously fine-tune our emergency response plans to ensure the safety of our passengers and community.”
The agencies involved in Tuesday’s training include:
- GFIAA Fire Department
- GFIAA Police Department
- GFIAA Operations
- GFIAA Maintenance
- GFIAA Communications
- Kentwood Fire Department
- Cascade Fire Department
- Kent County Emergency Management
- Dutton Fire Department
- Caledonia Fire Department
- Life EMS
- AMR Ambulance
- Rockford Ambulance
- Kent County Emergency Medical Services
- American Red Cross
- Southwest Airlines
- Kentwood Police Department
- Michigan State Police
- Kent County Sheriff's Office
- Kent County Emergency Services Team
- Medical Reserve Corp.
- FAA Traffic Tower Control Tower
- Kent County Dispatch
"Like anything, if you know the people that are coming and what they expect of you and what you expect of them, it makes everybody's life a whole lot easier because everybody is firing on the same cylinders, and then we can accomplish the tasks safely and effectively," Gutierrez added.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to conduct a Full-Scale Exercise every three years.
