APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) — There are going to be a lot more fire trucks and emergency vehicles than one might be used to seeing at Appleton International Airport on Wednesday.
Over 50 volunteers and firefighters and emergency crews from throughout the Fox Valley will be participating in a simulated disaster exercise at at the brand new ATW Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Training Center at Fox Valley Technical College.
“First responders need an opportunity to practice on the airfield,” said Airport Marketing Director Patrick Tracey. “The venue of the airport makes rescue different. With fuel involved, there’s different techniques that first responders need to be trained on.”
While airport disasters are extremely rare, there’s still a lot that could go wrong, and first responders have to be ready.
“[You] could have an aircraft fire, could have a landing gear that doesn’t fully open, you could have a plane skidding and perhaps ending up in a field,” explained Tracey.
The triannual exercise will involve first responders from Greenville, Fox Crossing, and Dale, who will join Appleton Airport firefighters, and the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office in the simulation. Fifty volunteers from across the area will take on the role of passengers fleeing a flaming aircraft–and yes, they’ll be using real fire.
The training is scheduled for 7:00 pm. It will not impact local air traffic.
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