PIERRE, (KCCR) — First responders will be gathering at Pierre Regional Airport to conduct a full scale emergency exercise simulating the crash of a commercial jetliner. Such exercises are a Federal Aviation Administration requirement of airport with commercial air service like Pierre’s. The drills are designed to test the airport’s emergency response plan providing first responders, airport staff and community partners a hands-on disaster response experience. Airport Manager Casey Pamperien says the exercise is essentially a stress test to response capabilities with the goal of finding areas of improvement to make sure Pierre Regional Airport is ready in case such an accident becomes reality. The exercise will utilize approximately 50 people including volunteers, city and county officials and first responders. It will also detail all aspects of a disaster including information gathering, coordination, response management, logistics and cost tracking.
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