Spokane airport will stage emergency exercise on Wednesday

Officials at Spokane International Airport will conduct a full-scale emergency exercise for five hours on Wednesday, but the event will not cause the airport to shut down.

The purpose of the staged emergency is to provide the airport’s Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting department and local first responders a chance to work together to ensure all parties remain prepared should a real situation occur, according to a news release.

The staged event from noon to 5 p.m. will include volunteers posing as victims for responders to use as part of the live-action practice.

Airport spokeswoman Alannah Toft wrote in the news release that the emergency exercise will not interfere in the airport’s normal passenger arrivals, departures or cargo operations.

The practice event will be held on the ramp area near the U.S. Postal Service Regional Processing and Distribution Center, at 2928 S. Spotted Road, and adjacent to Flightline Boulevard, which is on the east side of the airfield across from the main passenger terminal.

Other than to practice coordination, the staged emergency is required by the Federal Aviation Administration every three years so that the airport can maintain its operating certificate, Toft said in the release.