VIDEO: Sirens and flashing lights filled a scene at the Naples Airport on Tuesday morning, but residents had no need to worry. It was not a real emergency.
The commotion was part of ‘Operation Final Approach,’ a half-day, full-scale emergency training exercise conducted to test and improve the airport’s emergency response plan. This simulation involved 19 different agencies and organizations across Collier County.
“This is a normal operation for airports, internationally,” said Chris Rozansky, Executive Director for the Naples Airport Authority. “We all do this to just prepare and plan for events that we hope never happen.”
The exercise simulated a plane crash scenario. With the plane and track, up in flames. “We’re simulating a 30 passenger aircraft, 33 on board with the crew and essentially what we’re doing is we’re going to be responding to the crash and then rescuing those people on board, and we’re going to triage, treat and transport those individuals,” said Rozansky.
Steven Kofsky, Division Chief of Emergency Management and Training for the Naples Fire Rescue, explained how this was meant to simulate a mass casualty incident.
“Depending on the amount of patients you’re going to have, determines the amount of transport vehicles you’re going to get to take people to hospitals,” said Kofsky.
Collier County first responders and Naples Airport personnel participated in the practice run, but they’ve responded to real incidents before.
Such as when a small prop plane veered off the runway earlier this month, a plane crash with four passengers on board on New Year’s Day, and the deadly plane crash on I-75 in February 2024.
“I can tell you just from I-75, you know, negative as a crash is, is a good example of how response is done well and can go right,” he said.
Kofsky praised the performance of all involved in the training. “The crews did outstanding, the students did outstanding, airport ops did outstanding,” he said. “So overall, it was a great drill.”
Rozansky emphasized the importance of being prepared for real emergencies through drills like these. “It’s very important, because you don’t really plan a crash, right? You plan the response,” he said. “So if something does happen, all of our staff need to be ready to go to support the folks on the scene.”
The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports, including the Naples Airport, to conduct these trainings at least once every three years.
