FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - A group of first responders is fine-tuning their skills with a disaster drill at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The Broward County Aviation Department conducted their “Operation Silver Lining” training exercise at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Friday morning.
“We train constantly, whether it’s in the eye of the media or behind the scenes,” Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue at FLL Chief Bob Palestrant said. “We’re only as good as our last training.”
The drill simulates the emergency landing of a plane with approximately 100 passengers and crew members.
“A bird strike and then ultimately engine failure and lands and slides off the runway,” said Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport CEO Mark Gale.
Friday’s activity drew in approximately 80 volunteers from the airport and community to participate as injured passengers. 7News cameras captured the volunteers with their mock injuries on the runway.
There was also a controlled live fire burn during the exercise, as crews trained to put the fire out.
“The fire department, once they get on scene, the first thing they want to do is to extinguish the fire,” Gale said. “Once they get the fire knocked down, then they’ll start search and rescue operations to find who they can, extricate those that they need to and then begin working on a triage and transport arrangement, getting folks that are injured off to hospitals.”
In October 2015, a Dynamic Airways jet caught fire on the runway just before taking off at FLL. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries.
“We always try to improve upon what we do, no matter what,” Palestrant said. “No matter how good we do, we want to start over and make it better than it was before.”
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