HILO, Hawaii (KHON2) — An emergency response exercise conducted by the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation will be taking place at Hilo International Airport from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 18.
Officials say the drill is a full-scale exercise required by the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure proper emergency response protocols.
Airport personnel and local agencies will be working to test emergency response plans, actions, and more during the exercise.
Those participating in the exercise will be responding to a simulated collision between two commercial airplanes.
Participants include the airport personnel and partner agencies, as well as local volunteers who will be simulating passengers in distress for the drill.
The Hawaiʻi Police Department, Hawaiʻi Fire Department, Hawaiʻi National Guard, Red Cross, and more partner agencies will participate during the exercise.
During the drill, all flight operations will continue as usual, but there will be an increase of emergency response professionals in the area.
HDOT urges the public not to interfere or attempt to assist during the training. For questions, call HDOT’s Public Affairs Office at (808) 587-2160.