Sept. 9, 2025:
If you notice quite a few emergency response vehicles going to-and-from the Pierre Regional Airport Tuesday (Sept. 9, 2025) evening, there’s most likely not anything actually going on.
Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ian Paul says a full-scale emergency training exercise involving airport personnel, local firefighters, law enforcement agencies, medical facilities and more will begin around 5:30pm.
Paul says this exercise helps firefighters strengthen coordination with local partners so they can respond quickly and effectively if a real-life crisis would happen.
During the exercise, an Emergency Operations Center and Unified Command Post will be set up at the airport to serve as the hub for all disaster response and recovery efforts. Approximately 50 people will take part in the exercise– including volunteers, city and county officials and first responders. Participants will be assigned various roles, ranging from information gathering and coordination to response management, logistics and cost tracking.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports with commercial air service to conduct disaster exercises every three years.
Sept. 5, 2025:
If you notice quite a few emergency response vehicles going to-and-from the Pierre Regional Airport Tuesday (Sept. 9, 2025) evening, there’s most likely not anything actually going on.
From 5:30-7:30pm, local firefighters, law enforcement agencies, medical facilities and more will be doing a full-scale emergency training exercise designed to test the community’s readiness to respond to a large passenger aircraft accident.
Airport Manager Casey Pamperien says during the exercise, an Emergency Operations Center and Unified Command Post will be set up at the airport to serve as the hub for all disaster response and recovery efforts. He says approximately 50 people will take part in the exercise– including volunteers, city and county officials, and first responders.
Pierre Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ian Paul says this exercise helps firefighters strengthen coordination with local partners so they can respond quickly and effectively if a real-life crisis would happen. Participants will be assigned various roles, ranging from information gathering and coordination to response management, logistics and cost tracking.
Pamperien says these types of exercises help the airport improve upon its ability to coordinate, communicate and work together with firefighters, police, medical technicians and the local hospital to ensure effectiveness during large catastrophic aircraft accidents. Not only does the drill test the airport’s emergency response plan, but it also provides emergency responders with valuable hands-on disaster response experience, in a less stressful environment.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports with commercial air service to conduct disaster exercises every three years.
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