Paine Field Snohomish County Airport conducted its full-scale, triannual emergency Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drill. The exercise simulated a plane accident scenario and involved multiple agencies, from airport staff to the FBI.
Paine Field Airport conducts drills throughout the year, including quarterly fire department tabletop exercises and even earthquake drills, but the MCI drill only happens every three years and is the port’s largest-scaled multi-agency exercise. “We practiced what a real what a real aircraft accident would look like and how we would respond here at Paine Field,” said Paine Field Public Information Officer Kristin Banfield. “We also brought in a number of our partners because, in an incident like this where we simulated a bird strike with 35 passengers on board an aircraft, we can’t do that alone.”