The Charlottesville-Albemarle (CHO) Airport is better prepared to handle emergencies on its runway after a Federal Aviation Administration mandated emergency response simulation.
Volunteers from the community played the roles of injured passengers while fire and rescue squads from all over the area put their skills to the test, joining airport crews for the simulation.
“This is a very realistic drill, the Department of Virginia Fire Programs brings us a simulator that is designed to actually catch on fire … they clear those fires out with our apparatus that are designed to do it quickly and then they have to take care of any passengers that are in and around the aircraft at that time,” said Jason Burch, CHO communications director.