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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City International Airport transformed a nearby parking lot into the scene of a simulated disaster Thursday morning as crews responded to a mock plane crash, complete with fire, structural collapse and more than 100 volunteer passengers in need of rescue. The Federal Aviation Administration mandates this type of full-scale exercise every three years, and today’s drill was designed to push responders through a complex, multi-phase emergency. “This is a very complex, coordinated effort,” said Captain Tony Stowe of the Salt Lake City Fire Department. “We’re gonna have structural collapse components; there are multiple phases.” According to Stowe, five teams were deployed from Salt Lake City Fire, along with several other agencies, to handle everything from fire suppression to search and rescue inside a simulated building struck by the aircraft. As a real plane landed just miles away, crews rushed toward a staged crash site where another aircraft, this one part of the drill, had “run off the runway, hit a building and caught fire.” Volunteers scattered across the scene played injured passengers, some crying, some calling for help, all adding to the realism. “This is a very unique training simply because we have so many patients today,” Stowe noted. Airport spokesperson Nancy Volmer said the exercise has been in the works for a year and a half. “We’ve been planning this for about 18 months,” she said. “We’re making sure our emergency preparedness plan translates well from paper to practice. This serves the public and our passengers.” The drill tested nearly every layer of emergency response, including: Incident Command System, Airport Emergency Operations Center, Medical triage procedures, Helicopter operations and Structural collapse rescue. Fire crews emphasized that while they hope never to face such a catastrophe, preparation is non-negotiable. “We don’t train for ‘when was the last time,’” Stowe said. “We train for the ‘what if.’” Exercises like this are designed to reveal gaps, strengthen communication, and ensure that if a real mass casualty event ever occurs, responders can act quickly and cohesively. Related stories:SLC Airport construction could cause delays, officials say
