HSV Public Safety Department Hosts Emergency Response Agencies From Across the Region During Recent FAA Emergency Tabletop Exercise

Safety and security are paramount to the day-to-day operations at Huntsville International Airport. According to Doug Kreulen, Director of Operations, “Disaster preparedness and emergency response training with all of our emergency response providers is an integral part of our daily operation." As such, the Public Safety Department at Huntsville International Airport participates annually in emergency exercises not only to ensure that all information, procedures, and training are current, but also to fulfill a requirement by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Part 139 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

This requirement to test airport/airfield emergency response is a condition precedent to U.S. airports’ operating certification by FAA standards. Each certificate holder must coordinate its emergency plan with local law enforcement agencies, rescue and firefighting agencies, medical personnel and hospital organizations, principal airport tenants, and all other entities that have responsibility under the plan.

Tabletop exercises, such as the one held in April of this year, are conducted annually and a full-scale airport emergency plan drill must be conducted at least once every three years. The last full-scale exercise held at Huntsville International was in 2008. Among the numerous emergency responders that coordinate with the Huntsville International Airport Department of Public Safety for emergency response include:

• Federal Aviation Administration
• Huntsville Fire & Rescue
• Huntsville Police Department
• Huntsville-Madison County EMA
• Madison County Sheriff's Department
• Madison Police Department
• Madison Fire & Rescue
• Alabama State Troopers
• Huntsville Emergency Medical Services, Inc.
• American Red Cross
• Transportation Security Administration
• Redstone Police Department
• Redstone Fire Department
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Huntsville MedFlight
• Madison County Corner
• Madison County Medical SPC
• U.S Customs & Border Protection
• Limestone County Sheriff’s Department
• Huntsville-Madison County 911 Center

According to Chief Greg Garner, Department of Public Safety, Huntsville International Airport, "The ability to successfully respond to any emergency depends on the cooperation and partnership among the various agencies, and we are very fortunate to have the participation of such highly skilled professionals. The Huntsville International Airport Department of Public Safety welcomes the opportunity to train with these agencies to ensure that our communication and response continue to be in peak form.”