The Humboldt County Department of Aviation will hold a full-scale emergency simulation training exercise on Wednesday, June 5, between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon. It will take place at and around the area of the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (ACV), located at 3561 Boeing Ave. in McKinleyville.
The exercise will be loud and includes participation by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay, Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, several local fire departments, ambulance providers, the American Red Cross, airline personnel and many others.
During the exercise, those in the vicinity of ACV should expect to hear sirens and see emergency lights and participants with mock injuries crying for help. Airport visitors should also expect to see law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services personnel responding to a simulated emergency. First responders will be using emergency radios, and traffic flow may be temporarily affected near the airport. Please plan accordingly.
There are no planned street closures and airport operations will not be impacted as a result of this training exercise.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires all certified commercial airports perform a full scale mass casualty training exercise every three years. The purpose of the exercise is to train airport staff and local first responders on how to respond to an emergency at ACV. The emergency simulation is intended to provide a real-time, realistic experience of a mass casualty incident and allow airport partners and first responders from several partnering agencies to practice together, assess their emergency response procedures and solidify strong operational relationships.
The training area will be closed to the media. Media inquiries regarding this exercise should be directed to cgallardo@co.humboldt.ca.us.
For more information on the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport, please visit FlyACV.com.