GREENVILLE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Outagamie County Officials are working with Appleton International Airport to ensure first responders are ready, should an emergency take place.
At first glance, the simulated airplane crash that happened Greenville on Wednesday afternoon looks like the real deal. That’s exactly how Appleton International Airport director Abe Weber intended it.
“It’s something that’s always in the back of our mind, and it has to be. We want the public of northeast Wisconsin to know that we are confident in our response to an aircraft emergency.”
24 local and federal agencies collaborated to provide emergency response units to roughly 80 volunteers playing the role of victims. Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said it shows the level of coordination required.
“It’s a reality check because unfortunately accidents do happen but this is a way for us to come together, work together and work on one of the most important things we can do as a community, and that’s public safety.”
The departments involved included various fire, EMS, public safety and sheriffs departments. Preparation for the training can take years.
“They have a job to do,” Weber said. “We want to make sure that we’re securing the airfield, that we’re responding to passengers in need and that we’re out there practicing to make sure that we’re getting everything right. We’re going to continue to practice until it almost comes as second nature.
The drill is mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration, which requires airports across the country to conduct these types of training drills every three years.
“We go beyond that,” Weber said. “We’re practicing it more than that with tabletop exercises, with communications to our law enforcement, EMS, Firefighters so that if the unfortunate event would occur, we’re ready to respond.”
The goal is to ensure everything is in order in the event of a real emergency, but there’s still more to do moving forward. Outagamie County Emergency Management Director Paula Van De Leygraaf says getting hands on experience is just the start.
“Everyone should come into this as a learning experience. We’re practicing the things in a controlled environment that could happen in real life. So they practice, practice, practice. It makes people more efficient at doing their jobs.”
The Appleton International Airport is the third largest airport in Wisconsin by arrivals and departures, behind Milwaukee and Madison.
