Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport conducts a full-scale emergency exercise, simulating an aircraft crash on the runway, August 19, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Green Bay’s airport and regional emergency responders joined together to test their readiness with a full-scale emergency exercise.
On Wednesday, emergency vehicles, responders in protective gear and simulated smoke could be seen on and around Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport’s property.
The planned exercise, simulating an aircraft crash on the runway, had 75 volunteers on hand to make it feel as real as possible.
Brown County Emergency Management Director Dan Kane says first responders practiced treating, triaging and transporting volunteers in and out of the airfield.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires airports to conduct a full-scale emergency exercise every three years. To meet FAA standards, the exercise must be as realistic as possible, allowing first responders to train and test their skills under conditions that closely mirror an actual emergency.
Kane says effective emergency response planning is a critical component of airport and aviation safety.
“The importance of this cannot be understated because we do only get to do this once every three years just due to the fact that it is quite labor intensive and it’s tough to get this many people and a lot of logistics behind something of this scale,” he explained.
After the exercise, teams will gather and compare notes on how things went and will adjust responses accordingly.
The training exercise ran from 9 a.m. to noon and did not affect regular airport operations.
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