Massport Holds Ice Rescue Drill At Logan Airport
EAST BOSTON (CBS) - Massport held a water rescue drill at Logan Airport Friday, a day after a jet ran off a runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
The drill, which was scheduled before the LaGuardia incident, involved emergency teams cutting open a seven-foot section of ice at the edge of the airport.
Divers went into the 30-degree water for the rescue drill.
"A big reason why we do this is foremost to enhance the relationships that exist among the agencies here in metropolitan Boston. Great partnerships with the city of Boston, the FAA, the city of Cambridge and a host of others," Massport Fire and Rescue Chief Robert Donahue told WBZ-TV.
"We don't get to drill much under these circumstances and unfortunately we've got an airport that's surrounded by water, so the likelihood of something really happening is very good," said Boston EMS special operations captain Bob Haley.
Emergency services workers told WBZ in cold water you lose body heat 25-percent faster than when you're standing in cold air.
They said most of their water rescues this winter have involved people doing after their dogs.