LAKELAND, Fla. — Heads up for anyone planning on flying out of Lakeland next month — you could possibly see an emergency exercise go down.
The Lakeland Linder International Airport scheduled a full-scale emergency exercise from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
This planned exercise will not affect regular airport operations, the Lakeland Fire Department says.
This exercise will reportedly test how well the airport and community emergency response staff work together in the event of an aviation disaster.
So what is this exercise specifically for? It allows for the evaluation of the airport's response time to a mass casualty event linked to any exposure of "hazardous material."
The fire department is using the exercise to test how best to disseminate public information and warn of issues. It will also be looking at most efficient ways to coordinate between different agencies.
The simulation scenario will have two airplanes, a commercial charter flight with a reported 50 people on board. They will come in contact with another plane that is supposedly "transporting hazardous material" while on the runway.
There will be signs placed along Drane Field Road indicating the training exercise is in progress to allow no confusion with people traveling to or from the airport.
Approximately 14 agencies are set to be part of this exercise, which include:
- Lakeland Linder International Airport
- Lakeland Fire Department
- Lakeland Police Department
- Polk County Sheriff's Office
- Polk County Fire Rescue
- Polk County Emergency Management
- Central Florida Regional Planning Council
- Hillsborough County Fire Rescue
- Plant City Fire Rescue
- Lakeland Regional Health
- Winter Have Hospital
- Bartow Regional Medical Center
- Tampa General Hospital AEROMED
- and the Orlando Health Air Care Team, among others.
Full-scale exercises are reportedly required every three years to rehearse with everyone who would be involved in an actual emergency.
"The community should be advised there is no need for concern," fire department leaders wrote in a statement.
