On April 19, 2023, 424 participants from John Wayne Airport and several mutual-aid partner agencies, successfully completed a live exercise simulating a major aircraft emergency.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires all public, commercial service airports to conduct a full-scale emergency response exercise (AirEx) every three years. The purpose of the FAA-required exercise is to practice and evaluate the operational capability of the Airport emergency response management system in a real-time environment.
The multi-agency exercise included participants from Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Delta Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, Orange County Public Works, Airport Police Services, Orange County Sheriff’s Department Coroner, Irvine Police Department, University of California, Irvine, Newport Beach Fire Department, Costa Mesa Fire Department, American Red Cross, OC Global Medical Center, Orange County Healthcare Agency, Orange County Social Services Agency, OC Trauma Intervention Program, LAZ Parking, and FALCK Ambulance. In addition, 87 OC Community Emergency Response Team members played injured “passengers” for the exercise.
With eleven commercial airline partners and nonstop service to more than 40 destinations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, John Wayne Airport conducts training in safety, security and emergency response coordination as an integral function of our organization. “At John Wayne Airport safety is our top priority,” said Airport Director, Charlene Reynolds. “AirEx is just one of many ways we ensure the safety and security that every traveler expects.”
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