Contact: Jason Licon, Director, Northern Colorado Regional Airport, 962-2852

First responders from multiple Northern Colorado agencies will participate in a full-scale exercise beginning at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 1, intended to gauge their response to a simulated commercial aircraft crash at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL).

FNL staff, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, the Loveland Police Department and Thompson Valley Emergency Services will be joined by crews from Poudre Fire Authority and Windsor-Severance Fire Protection District in responding to the scene of a simulated crash of a commercial aircraft and resulting fire southeast of the airport’s main runway. Agencies affiliated with the City of Loveland will be evaluated, along with their interaction with other regional agencies responding to the scene.

The approximately two-hour exercise is designed to present a no-fault, no-inspection learning opportunity for participants to examine the unique aspects of response to an aircraft accident as well as other large-scale emergencies.

Crews will respond to the needs of large numbers of injured survivors, their roles played by volunteers, address safety and security needs at the scene, extinguish active fire and transport victims. Feedback and specific evaluations become part of an After Action Report and Improvement Plan that could recommend future changes in training, equipment and response procedures.

To minimize impact on the community, units responding to the simulated crash site will already be at the airport rather than traveling from their standard base locations. Simulated response times will be incorporated into the After Action Report.

This exercise will be closed to the public due to safety concerns. People in the area may notice some smoke in the air, resulting from the simulated accident. The airport will continue its normal daily operations.