OREANDA-NEWS. Denver International Airport (DIA) today conducted a full scale aircraft disaster exercise to test on-scene coordination between the Emergency Operation Center and Incident Commander; fatality management; firefighting operation and support; triage and pre-hospital treatment; and public information and communication. Several new systems were tested for possible integration into DIA's emergency plans to help with tracking patients and responders.

More than 400 people participated, including role players of passengers, friends and relatives. Multiple agencies partnered in this exercise: Denver Health, FAA, Federal Air Marshals, Denver Fire Department, Mayor's Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, FBI, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Denver Police Department, Denver Medical Examiner and Denver Public Health, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Frontier Airlines and 11 hospitals.

“Collaborating with federal, regional and local partners to develop a robust training program allows DIA to maintain the highest level of emergency preparedness and response,” said Deputy Manager for Airport Operations, Ken Greene. “These relationships and being able to collaborate effectively are vital in order to work together during a crisis. Information taken from this exercise will be used to enhance our emergency response plans.”