When disaster strikes: Guam airport completes emergency drill
By Alex J. Rhowuniong
Here's the scenario: an inbound flight experiences left-side landing gear failure, slides down the runway, sparks and ignites the fuselage, which splits into two sections.
What happens when an aircraft goes down at Guam's international airport? Who responds first? How quickly can emergency personnel reach the scene? And, more importantly, how effectively can different agencies work together when lives are on the line?
These are not questions anyone hopes to face in real life. But they are precisely the questions Guam's emergency responders must be prepared to answer.
This morning, the Guam International Airport Authority conducted its Triennial Full-Scale Disaster Exercise, a drill involving an emergency simulation to test its emergency plans, communications, and response capabilities in a real-time high-stress environment.
For some participants, the Guam International Airport Authority's Triennial Full-Scale Disaster Exercise was a first-time learning experience. For others, it was another opportunity to participate, sharpen their skills, evaluate their preparedness and learn from the experience.
“It's also going to test my acting,” a participating nursing student said in jest.
Even those assigned to play "victims" had something to learn. Experiencing a simulated emergency from the perspective of someone in need offers insight into how quickly an ordinary day can turn into a life-threatening situation.
“It's good that these guys do this exercise every three years,” Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said, emphasizing the need to remain prepared at all times.
She pointed to the tragic Korean Air Flight 801 crash, which struck Nimitz Hill on August 6, 1997, as a reminder of why emergency preparedness cannot be taken lightly.
"As real-world threats evolve, we also have to test our ability to test our responses accordingly," said John Quinata, the airport's executive manager.
He emphasized the importance of these exercises as opportunities for the airport and its partners to learn, improve and strengthen their emergency response capabilities.
"In our last exercise, we had included a hijacking scenario and we included a cybersecurity component that further tests our response and capability to compound emergencies," Quinata said.
Beginning at 8:15 a.m., the exercise brought together emergency personnel and participating agencies to simulate an aircraft disaster.
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An aircraft had just gone down. Sirens were wailing. Firetrucks rushed toward the wreckage. Smoke rose from the aircraft. Passengers evacuated, some wandering around in confusion, others injured and desperately seeking.
Emergency personnel arrive from different directions, each with a responsibility to fulfill.
It is a scene of confusion, urgency and competing demands.
Police officers, firefighters, ambulance crews and other response partners were called to put their training, communication systems and emergency procedures into practice.
The drill was not simply a demonstration of emergency vehicles, equipment and personnel. It was a practical test of how different agencies work together when confronted with an incident that could quickly overwhelm ordinary emergency response operations.
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A full-scale exercise is designed to recreate the pressures and demands of an actual emergency as realistically as possible, without exposing the public to real danger.
There were simulated casualties, responders to coordinate, communications to maintain and emergency procedures to execute.
The exercise is conducted every three years in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration requirements.
GIAA conducted its previous full-scale exercise on Nov. 15, 2023. The latest exercise continues that cycle of testing, evaluating and improving preparedness.
“Our federal, military and local partners… we cannot thank them enough,” said Daniel Stone, assistant fire chief at the airport.
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