The Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC), in conjunction with the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), will hold an emergency Preparedness Exercise at T.F. Green Airport tonight beginning at 9 p.m.

"This exercise is designed to test Green's airport emergency plan. It allows us to evaluate how the airport communicates and coordinates with our mutual aid responders. We consider this a critical drill since safety is our top priority," said Peter Frazier, RIAC Interim president and CEO.

The full-scale exercise is expected to last a few hours, ending around midnight. It will be held in the pre-security area of the terminal on the departures level where a number of ticket counters are located (second level). During the exercise, the area will be closed to the public. All departing passengers will have checked in prior to the event, leaving the departures level clear, and no incoming passengers will be allowed access to the second floor. No flights will be impacted during this drill.

The exercise is meant to simulate a real disaster event, with state and local agencies responding accordingly. In addition, all acute care hospitals will participate to reflect the patient surge that occurs in a true emergency. More than a dozen agencies will be involved in the drill with more than 200 individuals participating.

The exercise involves the active collaboration of RIAC Police, RIAC Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting; RI State Police, RIDOH; RIEMA; the Hospital Association of RI; City of Warwick Fire Department; North Kingstown Fire Department; the airline partners at Green; and a host of mutual aid units and agencies.

"The immediate surrounding community may notice increased activity in the terminal with a higher volume of emergency vehicles in the vicinity of the airport," said Jack Thomas, Chief of RIAC Aircraft and Rescue Firefighting (ARFF). “The exercise is designed to review protocol in the event of a disaster and reassure passengers the airport is prepared in case of a true emergency.”

"Exercising and evaluating our preparedness plans are important parts of our work to make sure that our health system, our transportation networks, and our state as a whole are ready to effectively respond, should an actual emergency occur," said Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH. "We learn and improve with each exercise that we do, and are looking forward to identifying additional steps that we can take together to help ensure the health and safety of people in every zip code throughout Rhode Island."

"We recognize the value of our first responders being prepared and ready to assist with any major disaster, and this exercise will allow us to evaluate and enhance our process and procedures regarding responding to a mass causality incident," said RIEMA Director Peter Gaynor.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that all airports perform a full-scale emergency exercise every three years to maintain the agency's safety certification. Green continues to make passenger security a top priority with the execution of these exercises.