Successful Huntsville International Airport Disaster Drill 2022

The Huntsville International Airport welcomed over 100 volunteers and more than 15 emergency response agencies on September 8, 2022 to Huntsville International Airport east runway 18L/36R for a full-scale airport disaster drill. Volunteer “victims” were each assigned a placard listing their injuries from the imagined plane crash as well as appropriate responses for first responders to note and practice. The James Clemens High School theater program volunteered their time to provide fake wounds and fake blood to simulate the assigned injuries.

This drill is an opportunity for the Huntsville International Airport to practice an emergency response to a large-scale disaster. First responders from the community participate to understand and put into practice the procedures followed by the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to conduct full-scale disaster drills every three years.

After the drill was completed, Chief of Public Safety Chris Scott said, “Overall, I think the drill was a success, but as usual we learned about some possible opportunities for improvement. We will review comments from our evaluators and feedback from participants and develop an After-Action Review.”

Huntsville International Airport appreciates the robust response from community volunteers and to the first responders and other supporting agencies who helped to make the disaster drill a success.