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Emergency Disaster Response Drill Scheduled at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Dépèche transmise le 11 mai 2009 par Business Wire

Emergency Disaster Response Drill Scheduled at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Metropolitan Airports Commission, together with airline representatives and area public safety and disaster relief officials, will conduct a practice drill at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tuesday, May 12, 2009.

The purpose of the drill is to test and practice emergency response procedures so that airport, airline and community first-responders will be prepared should an actual disaster ever occur. Federal Aviation Administration regulations require that airports with scheduled passenger service conduct such a drill every three years.

The drill scenario centers on response to the "crash" of a make-believe “Newton Airlines” jet on which suspicious activity has occurred.

Media outlets monitoring emergency scanners may hear emergency response communication regarding:

• a passenger creating a disturbance in-flight
• a request by a “pilot” for the aircraft to return to MSP and be met at the gate by airport police
• the pretend crash of the aircraft when attempting to land
• simulated casualties

You may also receive calls from people regarding actual smoke at MSP which, weather permitting, will be used to make the simulated "crash" site seem more realistic to participants. The smoke will rise near an out-of-service DC-9 aircraft, which will be used to simulate the affected plane.

THIS IS ONLY A DRILL.

In the unlikely event a real emergency should occur that morning, the drill will be canceled immediately and you will be notified of the real event.

Please be patient if you are seeking information from the Metropolitan Airports Commission's Public Affairs Department the morning of May 12. Staff will be engaged in the drill all morning but will check messages after the drill concludes at 12 p.m. Thank you in advance for your understanding.