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New airport emergency planning chief outlines seismic risks, training and equipment upgrades
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Summary
Tom Woodard, the airport's emergency planning administrator, briefed the commission on regional earthquake risks, a THIRA risk assessment, two on‑site emergency supply caches, an Everbridge mass‑notification rollout, and plans for a multi‑year training/exercise program culminating in a full‑scale Part 139 exercise in 2027.
Tom Woodard, who introduced himself as the airport emergency planning administrator, presented a briefing on earthquake risk and airport preparedness.
Woodard summarized the regional seismic hazard — noting the airport lies near the San Andreas fault — and said smaller earthquakes can relieve pressure but the region remains exposed to a potentially larger event. He described the airport’s near‑term work program: completing a THIRA (threat and hazard identification and risk assessment), a stakeholder preparedness review (gap analysis), implementing a multiyear training and exercise plan, standing up two on‑site emergency supply caches, and rolling out a new mass notification system (Everbridge) to replace an older text system.
Woodard said the airport is revising its airport emergency plan and intends to use the required Part 139 tabletop and annual review as an opportunity for broad stakeholder engagement; he invited commissioners to attend a tabletop exercise on May 6. He also flagged grant funding uncertainty for preparedness programs at the federal level and encouraged advocacy to sustain grants used for training.
Commissioners asked about runway/tarmac resilience and coordination with state emergency logistics (Cal OES); Woodard said PSP is included in statewide logistics plans but acknowledged the need to improve tactical coordination and planning. He said a phased build of an airport emergency operations center is funded and expected to be partially in place by the end of the fiscal year.
