NEW HAVEN, Conn. — If you heard a series of sirens and screams coming from Tweed New Haven Airport Tuesday afternoon, it was all for a mass casualty emergency drill. It’s something the airport does every three years as part of the Federal Aviation Administration certification process.
“It’s really a training event for our team and for the surrounding community and all the corresponding agencies,” said Michael Jones, CEO of The New HVN.
More than 300 people took part in Tuesday’s simulation. The lineup of participants included 150 volunteers and hundreds of police officers, firefighters, EMS workers and more from more than two dozen local, state, and federal agencies.
“It’s critical to do this to make sure everything is up to date and that everyone is on the same page and we get to know each other,” said Tom Rafter, Executive Director for Tweed New Haven Airport Authority.
New Haven and East Haven first responders worked together to save lives in the scenario.
That scenario involved a plane crashing into a box truck on the airfield, with hundreds of people on board.
“I’m really proud of the work that they did here today,” said Chief John Alston, Jr. with the New Haven Fire Department.
In past exercises, Chief Alston Jr. served as the incident commander. This time, he let his team and their partners from East Haven take the lead.
“It’s about them now. It’s about the growth that I’ve seen in this department with officers we’ve promoted over the last few years, who are getting in, getting their hands dirty as it were. But, they’re making those critical thinking decisions,” Alston Jr. said.
The first responders had to navigate internal communication issues while making sure to bring people (the volunteers) to safety.
“It becomes a logistical puzzle if you will. Making sure that you put people in the right places and you maintain a corridor to get the resources in, and the victims out,” Alston Jr. said.
After the response was complete in a couple of hours, the participants came together for an after-action briefing to go over what went right and what went wrong.
“What can be improved through training? Equipment that we thought we might have needed that wasn’t here. And assess our responses,” Alston Jr. said.
And though they know the likelihood of encountering this very scenario in CT is rare, it’s still possible.
“Because of the transportation corridor that we’re in, both by rail and by air, the potential is there to have it happen off-site. And, so, it’s good for us to practice in the light of day, recognizing our resources, our reflex time. Making sure that all the proper equipment is in the right place and that we have established those relationships even in the small accidents that I’ve experienced since I’ve been here so that we can prepare for the larger,” Alston Jr. said.
From here, the airport is getting ready for the next exercise they’ll be conducting.
“This is once every three years, but, there are lead-ups to it throughout the course of the year. We’ll start right after this on a whole new sequence,” Rafter said.
The list of agencies taking part in Tuesday’s exercise is as follows:
- American Medical Response
- American Red Cross
- Avelo Airlines
- Avports
- Bruneau’s Garage
- Connecticut National Guard
- Connecticut State Police
- CT Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security
- East Haven Fire Department
- East Haven Police Department
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Midwest Aviation Services
- New Haven Fire Department
- New Haven Office of Emergency Management
- New Haven Police Department
- Robinson Aviation
- Transportation Security Administration
- Tweed New Haven Airport Authority
- United States Coast Guard
- Yale Emergency Medical Services
- Yale New Haven Hospital
- Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
- CT Technical and Educational and Career System – Criminal Justice and Protective Services
- Bullard-Havens Technical High School, Bridgeport
- Vinal Technical High School, Middletown
- Windham Technical High School, Willimantic
- Prince Technical High School, Hartford
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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