OREANDA-NEWS. The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) today issued the following statement from Airport Director John L. Martin at the conclusion of the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) hearing on the Asiana 214 accident at SFO on July 6, 2013:“We respect the thorough investigation conducted by the NTSB into the Asiana 214 accident, and appreciate its detailed analysis of evidence, finding of facts and recommendations.

We remain proud of those who quickly came to the assistance of passengers on July 6, 2013, including Airport staff, San Francisco Fire and Police departments, and mutual aid responders. We appreciate the recommendations put forth today by the NTSB on how we might improve our emergency response. These items reflect the result of our own self-evaluation process, facilitated by a third party, ICF, after the accident. Based on this effort, we have already taken a host of actions to improve our capabilities, including:

Acquisition of purpose-built Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) vehicles, which are equipped with medical support supplies, such as backboards.

Ensured interoperability among SFO and regional fire department radio systems.

In final contract negotiations with state-of-the-art emergency alert and notification system.

Procurement of Boeing 767 aircraft for realistic emergency training drills. Implementation of mandatory Airport review of airline family assistance plans.

Increased number of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Supervisor positions to ensure 24/7 coverage.

Appointed a Director-level position to lead all Airport safety and strategic programs.

Extensive outreach to aviation and first responder communities to communicate lessons learned.

We look forward to the opportunity to practice these enhancements at our annual emergency exercise drill, currently scheduled for Wednesday, September 24, 2014. The drill will include participation from all our mutual aid partners. The emergency drill is open to the media.”