Have you ever wondered how San Diego International Airport stays prepared for crises? The short answer is lots of preparation and practice. This can come in the form of tabletop exercises held in a conference room or full-scale exercises on the airfield.
These exercises are intended to test real-world readiness and identify potential gaps in response time, staffing, equipment, and procedures before a real emergency occurs. They also help first responders practice triage and patient management in an aviation-specific environment.
This kind of practice promotes better coordination among airports, first responders, hospitals, public health, TSA, FAA, airlines, and other partners. Exercises clarify roles and build familiarity and trust among agencies.
One such exercise was the recent Airport Emergency Plan tabletop exercise held late last year. About 70 people from SAN’s airlines, the Airport Authority, the U.S. Coast Guard, local police and fire departments, lifeguards, the Red Cross, the FBI, NCIS, TSA, and the Medical Examiner’s Office participated, among others. Participants went over mass water rescue, patient triage and tracking, fatality management, environmental response, accident investigations, public information with media, and family support and reunification.
Tabletop exercises like this one are an important step before the triennial full-scale exercise known as AirEx, which is tentatively scheduled for October. The FAA requires all certificated airports to conduct a full-scale mass-casualty exercise on the airfield every three years.
Through trainings like these, challenges are better identified in a controlled environment, where plans and procedures can be adapted as necessary. Be on the lookout for images of our upcoming AirEx 2026 on our social media channels!
