Plane crash simulation training exercise held at Logan Airport
BOSTON - Multiple Massport first responder agencies took part in a simulation exercise at Logan Airport on Friday. The drill took first responders through a scenario where two planes have crashed on the tarmac.
"When the real thing happens, we all work together in a unified command structure, so that everyone knows what they are doing and are on the same page," said Chief Joseph Degrace of Massport Fire Rescue.
Emergency landing at Logan Airport
The training comes just days after a small Cape Air plane had to make an emergency landing on one wheel due to an issue with the landing gear.
"Within seconds, we had our airport manager on the scene getting the pilot, people out of that airplane. The reason it happens like that is because we drill like this," said Massport Director of Aviation Ed Freni.
The simulation had 100 passengers aboard a JetBlue jet, and nine more in the smaller aircraft. As the passengers exited the plane, they were put into color categories depending on their injuries.
Red is for critical medical attention; green is for the passengers Massport calls "the walking wounded." These are passengers who may be hurt, but they can get around on their own. Yellow passengers fall somewhere in the middle. A designation of black means the passenger is a "non-viable," which could indicate that a passenger has passed away.
"This type of drill has to be done every three years, but we do it more often than that," said Freni.