Massport conducts massive active shooter drill at Logan Airport in Boston
BOSTON - Hundreds of people participated in an active shooter drill overnight Wednesday at Boston's Logan Airport.
More than 1,000 participated
Terminal C was partially closed into the early morning hours Wednesday as Massport Fire Rescue, the Boston Fire Department, Boston EMS and Massachusetts State Police took part in the emergency response exercise that's done every couple of years. Officials said the drill took 18 months to prepare.
"We haven't done a drill at this size for about three years and with Hank Shaw's leadership, our director of security here at Massport, we put this whole thing together," said Ed Freni, Massport's director of aviation.
Simulated active shooter
Shaw, the chief security officer for Massport, said more than 1,000 people took part in the the drill that focused specifically on an active shooter response.
"The plan, really, for this training is really threefold. We want to be able to successfully conduct, command and control of the exercise," said Shaw. "Next, we want to be able to mitigate the threat within the terminal environment, that's quickly moving to address the active shooter. Third, we want to be able to quickly be able to respond in triage and be able to provide tactical emergency casualty care to any of the victims."
Keeping travelers safe
Travelers who had a late night flight or early morning departure may have noticed an increase in emergency personnel and heard loud noises. The real life simulation lasted for several hours from 10 p.m. Tuesday night until 3 a.m. Wednesday.
"It's an active shooter preparation and we just want to train and be ready if the need is there," said Freni.
Massport said doing these types of drills every few years is necessary to help keep travelers safe.