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Airport emergency exercise involved 71 participants; staff reports larger disaster‑supply cache and training plan
Summary
Airport emergency plan administrator Tom Woodard told commissioners a recent FAA‑required tabletop and exercise engaged 71 participants from 30+ partner agencies. Staff said they have expanded logistical preparedness, including stop‑the‑bleed kits and a supply cache able to feed portions of staff for several days, and plan a multi‑month plan revision and a full‑scale exercise in early 2027.
Tom Woodard, the airport emergency plan administrator, gave commissioners an update on recent preparedness work and training.
Woodard said the airport held a substantially expanded plan review and tabletop exercise in May that included 71 participants from more than 30 partner agencies — local police and fire, county emergency services, TSA and Department of Homeland Security, tenant partners, EMS and representatives from some local hospitals. He said the exercise produced positive feedback about renewed interagency engagement and tenant commitments of space, supplies and support during a response.
On logistical preparedness, Woodard described acquisitions to support incident command and operations: an emergency operations‑center buildout, incident‑management supplies, pre‑staged stop‑the‑bleed kits at AED locations, and a disaster‑supply cache. He said the cache can currently feed about half of airport staff for up to six days and can support roughly 100 people for three days with rationing; he also said staff are negotiating agreements with on‑site vendors to leverage inventory during a response.
Woodard said he is leading a comprehensive airport emergency plan revision described in the transcript as a "45month effort" to be conducted with partners, and that a triannual mass‑casualty full‑scale exercise is scheduled for early 2027. He outlined additional training plans (incident command, psychological first aid with the American Red Cross, disaster first aid for staff and partners) and said staff will incorporate hospitals and Riverside County EMS Authority into notification systems.
During questions, commissioners asked about the exercise scenario (an aircraft accident) and whether outside evaluators or tribal partners were included; Woodard said he solicited peer review from other airports and agencies, invited nearby tribes (no tribe sent a participant) and confirmed inclusion of FBOs and the air museum in the exercise.
