News & Facts

Santa Barbara Airport Full Scale Emergency Exercise

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010    10 a.m. - Noon

SANTA BARBARA, CA – A full-scale disaster exercise of the Santa Barbara Airport Emergency Plan will take place Wednesday, October 6, between 10 a.m. and noon. The purpose of the exercise is for local emergency organizations to gain practice and preparedness for a mutual aid response in the event of a major aircraft disaster.  Agencies participating in this year’s drill include:

    City of Santa Barbara Airport, Police and Fire Departments and Office of Emergency Services
    Santa Barbara County Fire, Sheriff, Coroner’s and Office of Emergency Services
    City of Goleta
    Federal Aviation Administration
    Federal Bureau of Investigation
    Transportation Security Administration
    California Highway Patrol
    American Medical Response
    American Red Cross
    SkyWest Airlines
    American Eagle Airlines
    Mesa Air
    Signature Flight Support
    Atlantic Aviation
    UCSB Campus Police and Medical Response
    Santa Barbara City College – medical emergency role-playing volunteers
    Metropolitan Transit District – loan of bus to simulate a commercial aircraft    

           
The mock scenario for the full-scale exercise will involve a certain amount of smoke, thus vehicle drivers traveling on Hollister Avenue between Aero Camino and Los Carneros may see smoke coming from the airfield area northwest of the main runway. 

The live exercise will be conducted in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration requirements.  The Santa Barbara Airport maintains an emergency plan outlining response procedures and agencies that must effectively respond to and manage emergency situations that occur on Airport property. Federal law requires that this plan be tested via a simulated incident every three years.

Media vehicles can be parked on Cook Place adjacent to USFS ramp.  A representative from the City of Santa Barbara Fire Department will provide background information, briefings as the scenario unfolds, and answer questions. Members of the media will be escorted to the simulated crash scene to cover the disaster exercise. This is an opportunity for the media to learn first hand how local emergency organizations would respond to an aircraft disaster on the Airport.