Evaluation Of Emergency Aviation Preparedness By Each Agency To Be Conducted At Event

LAKELAND, FL — Airport operations should not be affected at Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) Tuesday during a required full-scale emergency exercise designed to test the capabilities of airport responses in the event of an aviation incident, a news release said.

The exercise will allow for the evaluation of the airport’s response to a mass casualty event associated with an airplane incident involving exposure to hazardous materials, airport staff said. The training also aims to test additional core capabilities of emergency response groups, including the communication of public information and warning, operational coordination between agencies, and health and safety practices.

The simulation scenario involves two aircraft, a commercial charter flight with a reported 50 souls on board, impacting an aircraft transporting hazardous material while taxiing across the runway, officials said.

Signage will be up along Drane Field Road indicating a training exercise is in progress. Numerous vehicles and large apparatus will enter and exit Drane Field Road and Airfield Court East, near Fire Station 7 and the LAL Terminal building.

Officials said the community should not be concerned when they see this activity happening at LAL with 14 agencies participating in the exercise that include: Lakeland Linder International Airport, Lakeland Fire Department, Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Fire Rescue, Polk County Emergency Management, the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Plant City Fire Rescue, Lakeland Regional Health, Winter Haven Hospital, Bartow Regional Medical Center, Tampa General Hospital AEROMED, Orlando Health Air Care Team, among others.

The exercise is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations require CFR Part 139 certificated airports to conduct a full-scale exercise every three years to rehearse with all the entities who would be involved in an actual emergency. The purpose of the exercise is to evaluate the preparedness and capabilities of the airport, its tenants, and local response agencies.