October 6, 2023
Training doesn’t take a day off for emergency responders at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Whether it's responding to real-life emergencies inside the terminal or conducting training drills on the airfield, members of the Port of Seattle Fire and Police departments hone their skills every day.
However not all drills are the same. To maintain our certificate to operate the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires airports to complete a mock aircraft collision exercise every three years called the Triennial Aircraft Collision Exercise (Tri-ACE). The main objective of this exercise is to be prepared to handle the triage and transfer of victims of a mass casualty incident. The drill ensures the preparedness of airport first responders, and provides an opportunity to prepare for an incident with neighboring King County area mutual aid police and fire agencies.
On Sept. 14, the Port of Seattle Fire Department lead the Tri-ACE on the airfield which included 150 volunteers (badged airport employees and interns) acting as "victims" next to SEA’s portable mock aircraft training fuselage. Volunteers were provided with a victim scenario, made up with moulage (injury special effects), and transported to the airfield for the exercise. After being triaged by first responders, volunteers were either transported to the Passenger Gathering Area or to a simulated hospital.
The Airport Operations team tested the emergency response and incident command structure and communication procedures to notify airport tenants, executives, elected officials, and staff about the incident. And how to deal with the ramifications of an incident on the airfield, facility, and operating systems.
On a parallel track, the External Relations team and airline partners practiced how to notify the media, airport travelers, and the general public about the incident and its impacts to travelers at the airport. And practiced mastery of the digital tools like text messaging, email updates, and posting pages with updates about the This exercise also included unexpected and immediate changes to the scenario to test the ability to pivot and respond to breaking news.
Here are some photos from this year’s Tri-ACE.
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