Tabletop and Full-Scale Emergency Exercises for General Aviation, Non-Hub, and Small Hub Airports (2016)

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29 Six case examples present the range of exercise practices that were discovered in this study. Highly useful, effective practices were found at airports ranging in size from a small general aviation airport to the 15th busiest airport in the world, Denver International Airport (DEN). The important point is that good ideas and practices from any of these airports can be scaled to fit the circumstances of any other airport, regardless of size, and adapted to improve its exercises, emergency plans, and overall readiness. DEN, which is Case Example 1, represents the gold standard for exercise design, implementation, evaluation, and use of lessons learned. DEN’s size, budget, and staff need not deter interest. Moreover, DEN reaches out through professional conferences and training events to demonstrate the benefits of the exercise tools they use. Case examples 2 through 6 are drawn from a small hub, a non-hub primary airport, two reliever airports, and a GA airport, respectively. These airports were selected because they exhibit high levels of commitment and innovation. As with DEN, the tools and procedures are scalable and adaptable by airports of any type and size, even large and medium hubs. As noted by Smith et al. (2015), small airports are often freer to innovate. Indeed, they are sometimes driven to innovation by staffing and funding constraints. In addition, smaller airports may be more likely to involve external partners in all aspects of emergency management (Smith 2014). Together, the six case examples present a broad spectrum of ways to achieve an effective emer- gency exercise program. CASE EXAMPLE 1: DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (DEN) TRAINING EXERCISE AND DESIGN GROUP Denver International Airport (DEN) is the 15th busiest airport in the world and the fifth busiest in the United States, with more than 53 million passengers each year (Figure 9). The airport is the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $26 billion for the region annually. The primary source for this case example was an interview with Director of Operations–Support Steve Lee, AAE, and Jason Taussig, Manager of Training and Exercise. chapter four CASE EXAMPLES Every one of DEN’s tools is potentially useful for the managers at a general aviation, non-hub or small hub airport to read and consider adapting for use.

30 FIGURE 9 Denver International Airport (Source: Denver International Airport). Airport Demographics: NPIAS category: Large hub FAR Part 139: Yes Number of passengers (2014): 53,472,514 Amount of cargo (2014): 1,314,752,910 tons Number of operations (2014): 575,161 Number of airport employees: Approximately 1375 employees (not including fire, paramedic, or police employees) Number of airport employees (person-years) devoted to exercise development and execution: two full-time employees and one manager Budget for exercises: Varies significantly year to year depending on the exercise types. The estimate below would reflect a year similar to 2015, which included one full-scale exercise hosted by DEN, one full-scale exercise DEN fully executed, and a major functional as the primary operational exercises. This would include the communication exercises but not the training elements for communications; however, there is some overlap. The vast majority of non-personnel costs are associated with the execution. The planning and evaluation costs come primarily from the personnel and printing lines. For the most part, participating agencies cover their own personnel/equipment costs in their operating budgets. DEN works very hard to get the airport’s activities as part of their routine training and exercise lines. In addition, DEN often receives in-kind donations or other groups assume some of the costs. When this occurs, the airport reprograms exercise money towards the improvement items. Personnel = $230,000 Materials = $10,000 Software including social media simulation, camera subscriptions, and document sharing/briefing information = $8,000 Refreshments/meals = $5,000 Awards/gifts/souvenirs for participants = $2,000 Total budget (2015) = $255,000 Governance: City/county departments.

31 Description of Airport’s Exercise Program Since its opening on February 28, 1995, DEN has been exercising procedures for emergency response. In its early years, it had an airport operations manager tasked with organizing and conducting exercises when required to do so by either the FAA or the TSA. Eventually, DEN began to shift the overall training, exercise, and evaluation program to dedicated personnel, with the goal of devel- oping a program that could be proactive and have both human and capital resources dedicated to expanding exercises. Today, DEN’s Training and Exercise Design group consists of two full-time employees. There were a number of factors that led to the creation of the group. One high profile event was the failure of the airport’s train (Figure 10) when its control sensor system malfunctioned. Even though there was no risk to life or public safety, it caused serious impact to the airport’s business continuity. The airport’s critical function of moving and processing passengers was halted until a work-around procedure or repairs could be put in place. The airport quickly learned that such work- around and maintenance response procedures needed to be effectively trained for, exercised, and evaluated as seriously as its safety emergency response procedures. The airport needed to assure its customers that it could deliver the highest possible level of response and recovery to train failures. Then-operations director John Kinney assigned specific resources and personnel to focus on the exercise program. This expansion of DEN’s exercise program proved very effective, and has now been applied to a number of critical business-related events and functions. DEN uses a sequence of discussion-based exercises, TTX, and functional exercises to lead up to triennial full-scale exercises. The airport also uses discussion-based exercises to evaluate training outcomes and to test new plans and procedures. Occasions or Frequency of Exercises DEN uses tabletop exercises more than once a year to evaluate training and to evaluate or teach new procedures and policies. DEN uses discussion-based exercises—seminars and games—to build towards the tabletop and functional exercises that the airport uses to prepare for the triennial full- scale exercises. DEN uses all five types of exercises described in chapter five, and adds full-scale exercises when local or national events suggest the need to enhance preparedness. Nature of Airport’s Emergency Exercise Planning Process Once an airport community has identified its critical capabilities, it needs to identify exercise objective related to each capability. These, and associated objectives, are then used to develop the scenarios that drive the exercises. DEN has found involving the entire airport community in developing exercise capabilities and objectives highly successful. DEN encourages airports to ask their communities to help identify areas of strength as well as those that need to be improved. FIGURE 10 Train at Denver International Airport (DEN photo, used by permission).

32 Exercise Control DEN follows the HSEEP process for planning, conducting, and evaluating its exercises using a high level of customization, including some continual improvement and applied agile program manage- ment. Its advice to smaller airports is to use the HSEEP tools as a process, but not to be afraid to make them their own. When planning an exercise, it helps if the coordinator has some program and project management skills and experience. When conducting large operational exercises, it also helps to orga- nize around the concepts of unity of command, span of control, and management by objectives. DEN and other airports use a typical ICS structure to manage their exercise events. Using the ICS structure, a single Incident Commander or Exercise Commander directs the operations, logistics, planning, finance, etc. In addition, appropriate sub-groups are also identified. Evaluation of Effectiveness of Emergency Exercises Evaluation of the exercise is another critical component of the process, when lessons learned are communicated, recognized, and documented. HSEEP provides very detailed and lengthy evaluation tools which DEN encourages other airports to adapt; DEN currently uses much simpler and shorter templates than those found in HSEEP. DEN documents the action items identified during the evalu- ation process and works with those deemed responsible for each item to ensure that the wording and representation of the identified action is agreeable and understandable to all involved. It then tracks each item to ensure the actions are completed. How Lessons Learned Are Applied Player education is also critical. Players in the exercise must be fully briefed on the safety and communication plans as well as on the simulations involved; that is, what are they expected to simulate and what are they required actually to do? Comprehensive checklists and detailed time- lines, maps, and process mapping software are all utilized in the planning and orchestrating of an exercise at DEN. At a smaller airport, a detailed Excel spreadsheet checklist and timeline could serve the same purpose. Keeping the exercise on track and meeting the expectations of those involved is key. When partner groups become involved, DEN tries very hard to add value for them and ensure that partners meet their objectives. It also tries very hard to manage the expectations of volunteer participants and actors by providing each participant with a timeline detailing what to expect and when. It provides host personnel to answer questions and offer aid; for example, providing water, refreshments, restroom location, etc. Staff tries to fill idle time with meaningful training, presentations, etc. Challenges and Barriers to Effective Exercises and How to Overcome Them One challenge to proactive program-based exercises is those “hot button” items. These are usually driven by recent or current national events. Politics or world events will always trigger mandates for specific kinds of exercise scenarios. When this happens at DEN, staff always tries to stick to its proactive program approach, going back to pre-identified capabilities and associated objectives and molding them into the hot button scenario. Mandates for exercises will be unavoidable, but a strong established program can absorb these mandates while still staying on track with the program’s estab- lished capabilities and objectives. Often exercises are used when other forms or training might be far more effective and appropri- ate. Interviewees suggest that airports avoid trying to do an operational exercise on something that is so new that nobody is familiar with it. DEN trains new procedures or systems using PowerPoints, workshops, or seminars before using a discussion based (TTX) or operational exercise (FSE). DEN advises that airports “should avoid going straight to an operational exercise. If the objectives can be accommodated by a discussion-based exercise, then do that first. This will save time and money. Build from the capabilities and objectives smaller discussion based exercises, and then, if needed, proceed to a full-scale or operational exercise” (J. Taussig, personal communication, Oct. 4, 2015).

33 Benefits DEN has found that its overall operational efficiency and level of customer service have been enhanced by its active training, exercise, and evaluation program. DEN encourages a proactive rather than a reactive approach to airport exercises and scenario choices: It believes the benefits are maximized by fixing problems before trying an exercise aimed at the problem. It is DEN’s opinion that there is no point in exercising something that you know is broken. Fix it, train for it, and then ask whether an exercise is necessary; in many cases it will not be (J. Taussig, personal communications, Oct. 4, 2015). Advice to an Airport Starting to Develop Its Emergency Exercise Program [Note: Any directive language and imperative verbs used in this section reflect the voice and perspec- tive of the interviewee(s) at the case example airports. They are not meant to be recommendations from the study team.] DEN believes that smaller airports can learn from DEN’s experiences. It understands that smaller airports may not be able to build and facilitate a program like that at DEN. However, because DEN has such a robust system, scheduling anywhere between 30 and 50 exercises each year, it has a great deal of experience. Experience has shown DEN that some exercises would not cost the airport a great deal of money; in fact, some exercises can be done with little or no money. Its number one suggestion on developing an effective low-cost exercise program is to build part- nerships with other local and regional emergency management agencies, allowing the airport to lever- age the efforts of these agencies to assist in meeting the airport’s needs. In Denver, these include state, county, and city emergency management groups, the Urban Area Security Initiative Group, and part- nering groups such as police, paramedics, hospitals, and fire responders. DEN recommends airports partner with other agencies and try to include their requirements as they build an airport program around what other agencies are required to do. This can include agencies and companies internal to the airport as well. Most agencies, as well as many large companies, have requirements and budgets for conducting exercises. The regional roles of airports, as well as the airport setting, are an asset that can bring value to the exercise requirements of these groups. In most cases, agencies/companies will welcome the idea of an airport partnership. Another strong suggestion from DEN to all airports is to explore and adopt the HSEEP building-blocks model for their exercise pro- gram. This comes with the predication that airports must under- stand that HSEEP’s concepts and its supporting templates must be highly customized to have a practical application for the airport. The HSEEP documents are extremely detailed, and even a large airport such as DEN found it necessary to customize the forms and the program to fit its needs. Even so, this is a great starting point, and DEN encourages every airport to adopt it. The HSEEP approach of using a series of small discussion-based exercises, then building to a larger live operational exercise, contributes to DEN’s ability to conduct multiple exercises annually. It is vital that airports identify a set of targeted capabilities, develop objectives around those capabilities, and then select a scenario that would involve those objectives. Identifying these capabilities can benefit all scenarios, not just the event being exercised. Too often, airports pick the scenario first and then let the scenario dictate the capabilities to be targeted in the exercise without even establish- ing clear targeted objectives. This scenario-first approach can lead to airports exercising what they do well versus what needs to be improved. To focus on exercising areas that truly need to be improved makes sense at any airport, but especially at those with limited time and resources. Focusing the exercise on the airport’s specific targeted objectives will help to ensure continuous improvement. Building partnerships with state and local emergency agencies is a way to overcome budgetary constraints. Focusing the exercise on the airport’s specific targeted objectives will help to ensure continuous improvement. DEN encourages smaller airports to use the HSEEP process model as a foundation to help map out an orga- nized approach for exercise planning.

34 DEN has also found real value in inclusion. It explores the needs and requirements of its part- ners and tries to find ways it can leverage these needs towards a common benefit. It involves its partner community from the beginning, developing targeted capabilities and objectives with these groups and including their needs as well as the needs of the airport. Often these capabilities and objectives have clear commonalities that can be used to address the needs of the community as a whole. CASE EXAMPLE 2: BOISE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BOI) Boise (Idaho) Airport is a small hub that is the main airport for the state of Idaho and is served by six legacy and low cost air carriers. BOI is a FAR Part 139 airport. BOI is a department of the city of Boise, and is overseen by a seven-member Airport Commission. Though municipally owned, BOI operates as a self-supporting enterprise. The Boise Airport’s mission is to provide a world-class gateway to the city. The airport has two parallel runways with an ILS Category III landing system. This case example is based on an interview with Ms. Sarah Demory, AAE, Airport Deputy Director. Description of Airport’s Exercise Program BOI uses TTX and full-scale exercises to test its emergency operations preparedness skills. The frequency of the drill schedule coincides with the FAA FAR Part 139 requirements for FSEs every 3 years and a tabletop exercise in the other years. The airport’s operations department leads the exercises with close coordination with ARFF and law enforcement. Other participants in the exercises are the airport’s tenants, and external stakeholders such as the hospital, county, and city of Boise. Nature of Airport’s Emergency Exercise Planning Process The airport’s training exercises are completed on a fairly low-tech basis using such tools as Power- Point or training videos and communicating with the use of NIMS and ICS on all levels. The Airport Demographics NPIAS category: Small hub FAR Part 139: Yes Number of passengers (2014): 2.7 million Amount of cargo (2014): 343,847,570 pounds Number of operations (2014): 325/day Number of airport employees: 105 Number of airport employees (person-years) devoted to exercise development and execution: 1–5 FTE (but shared with other city departments) Budget for exercises: $25,000 for most recent triennial full-scale exercise. Governance: County department, multi-airport system.

35 deputy airport director is a member of the city’s Incident Command Team (ICT), which ensures that there is regular interaction with the emergency management process with the airport and the city of Boise. The training gained with this team is not airport-centric but nevertheless follows all NIMS and FEMA training ideals, so the need for contracted outside assistance is not utilized owing to the relationship and ownership with the city of Boise and the city’s ICT. What Sources and Resources Are Used BOI’s exercise program is strongly based on HSEEP templates and forms but with extensive local adaptation. Boise tracks the expenses associated with a full-scale emergency exercise and the previous budget designated approximately $25,000 was for the event. Evaluation of Effectiveness of Emergency Exercises The airport has employed outside SMEs on occasion if the exercise is testing something specific. For example, in 2010 and 2014, an SME was brought in to specifically evaluate the airport’s use and adherence to NIMS/ICS. The airport has an internal evaluation team, the airport emergency opera- tions team that consists of ARFF/LE and Operations. This team reviews the AAR and determines if any document or protocol changes are warranted. If major changes are needed, the total concurrence of the team may be required to make appropriate changes to ACM, AEP, or the airport’s Emergency Communications Plan. “The airport emergency operations team then personally visits with the stakeholder groups and hand delivers any changes to documents, checklists, or plans based on the after action reports. This is a unique and personal touch that works extremely well in Boise.”—S. Demory Advice to an Airport Starting to Develop Its Emergency Exercise Program Demory strongly urges airports to “learn from your peers! Gather as much information that you can in terms of templates, checklists, sample reports and exercises and then tailor them for your airport. Nothing beats experience and document what works and what doesn’t to continually improve your organization. Utilize already-established resources (training and teams) in the immediate area if available” (S. Demory, personal communication, Oct. 3, 2015). CASE EXAMPLE 3: ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (RST) While final data was being collected for ACRP Synthesis S04-16 “Emergency Communications Planning for Airports,” the project that was included in the joint survey used for this present study, a recent full-scale exercise at Rochester (Minnesota) International Airport (RST) that was highly innovative and that showed the benefits that pre-planning and imagination can yield for an airport’s exercise program was reported. This case example is based on Shaw (2015) and follow-up interviews with Tiana Rossow, Airport Marketing and Communications Manager, and Ken Jones, City of Rochester Emergency Manager.

36 With permission of the author and publisher of Airport Improvement magazine, the follow- ing article was amended to delete any explicit or implied endorsement of specific commer- cial products in order to conform to the policies of the TRB. The original article by Kristin Vanderhey Shaw is featured in the November/December 2015 issue of Airport Improvement and can be viewed online at http://www.airportimprovement.com/article/emergency-drill-rochester- intl-includes-social-media-simulation. 2015 Recertification Full-Scale Exercise with Emphasis on Social Media Use Rochester, MN (RST)—Navigating Social Media within an Airport Emergency Exercise Rochester International Airport (RST) recently enhanced its training regimen by adding crisis communica- tion components to its latest full-scale safety exercise. Aircraft rescue and firefighting staff, ramp workers and other frontline employees were under scrutiny during the Minnesota airport’s four-hour mock disaster; but employees handling media relations were also put to the test. To increase realism, RST added the wildcard factor of social media. To put it mildly, social media has turned the field of crisis communications on its head. Whether it’s a hurricane, inflight incident or trouble in the terminal, the public expects information and updates much faster and more often than it did just a few years ago. Typically, people learn details and see photos through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter before airports issue official statements—often well before reliable facts and information are available. Allowing RST’s communications staff to feel the breakneck speed of social media during a staged training scenario helped them understand how news of airport disasters literally races forward. Firsthand experience trying to keep pace with a story—and possibly get ahead of it—was deemed highly beneficial. “We knew it would be a very good learning experience,” says Tiana Rossow, the airport’s marketing and com- munications manager. “In the real world, we needed to know how the communication would be conveyed.” Facebook Factor Having conducted “tabletop” exercises in 2013 and 2014, the airport staged a full-scale training event in Septem- ber that simulated an aircraft crash. For the media relations element, RST not only included its own communica- tions staff, the airport also included employees from local fire and police departments; Red Cross; Mayo Clinic; Rochester Airport Company (the airport’s management company, a subsidiary of Mayo Clinic); Rochester Emer- gency Management and various city departments. To ensure it could mobilize even wider resources during an actual emergency, the airport also invited representatives from a variety of other organizations. The multi-agency Airport Demographics NPIAS category: Non-hub primary airport FAR Part 139: Yes Number of passengers (2014): 237,341 Amount of cargo (2014): 25,000,000 pounds Number of operations (2014): 107/day Number of airport employees: 18 Number of airport employees (person-years) devoted to exercise development and execution: Staff is divided between planners and players, so 2 planners on the airport side of the house and 2–3 on the city EM side Budget for exercises: No official budget, they had to purchase items, mobile trainer for exercise and equipment on the day. Governance: City-owned but operated by subsidiary of Mayo Clinic.

37 communications team used a cloud-based application simulation [from a vendor] to train privately on social media tools without compromising security and safety. The system replicates the functionality of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and web blogs, as well as more traditional media such as television, newspapers, and radio. “Social media and other emerging digital technologies are playing an increasingly essential role in responses to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, civil and political unrest, criminal investigations, and military operations,” says Mark Amann, senior vice president and chief executive officer of [the vendor] that RST utilized. “These technologies not only provide a unique opportunity for organizations to communicate directly with the public, but they also are a source for previously unavailable situational awareness and intelligence.” Down to the Nitty-Gritty Beyond social media, RST’s training scenario addressed scene command operations, triage and transport of victims, scene investigation, fatality management operations, family assistance, and joint information system operations (including mass-alerting public messages in multiple languages). “In 2012, the triennial airport exercise tried to accomplish unified scene command, public information and family assistance, and we were partially successful,” recalls Ken Jones, director of emergency management for the city of Rochester. “For 2015, our goal was to emphasize the need for true unified operations at the scene, comprehensive family assistance operations, and joint public information center activities.” The exercise specifically tackled the common issues of conflicting command teams and uncoordinated public messages. When command teams did not appear to be working together, trainers used “injects” to steer teams together and force them to work in a unified command (UC) structure. Family assistance center opera- tions were extended to the community Emergency Operations Center and hospital family support center. A new fatality management plan that was created after the 2012 exercise provided a live playing field to train medical examiner staff and police department investigators. “This exercise was deeper and more challenging, and the team’s benefited greatly,” Jones reports. Although the previous full-scale exercise identified one person as the sole public information officer, this year’s exercise used a community team to coordinate scene communications with social media messages and press releases. “Tiana (Rossow) is the only person on the airport staff who handles communications, so in an emergency situation we would rely on the surrounding community to act as public information officers,” explains Jones. “When you thrust people into an emergency situation, it’s hard to get everyone together. In the exercise, we wanted to get them used to working together.” During the 2012 exercise, the team discovered that the public information officer became so engrossed in some aspects of rescue duty it became difficult to provide timely information to the media. In that case, Mayo Clinic was forced to handle media inquiries, which proved to be inefficient. “With such a small staff, it’s important for us to have community helpers in a case like this,” says Rossow. “This simulation helped us get to know each other and ensure we have each other’s contact information so we know who to rely on.” Given the opportunity to learn how to respond during an airport emergency, she elaborates, community resources outside of airport operations, such as personnel from the library or public utilities, could be great assets if we understand how to work together. During the exercise, the RST team established a Joint Information Center, which was specifically desig- nated for members of the airport/community communications team, as well as a separate Media Center for outside newsgatherers on airport grounds. Team members also held a simulated press conference, with mock media members trained to ask tough questions like real reporters. “Using the simulation product, we could respond to radio and TV reports, and we got to follow Twitter and Facebook posts to practice how to respond after the incident,” recalls Rossow. “Very quickly, you see how the airport can be affected by the public perception.”

38 One of the biggest lessons was learning how to ensure a good flow of information without communi- cating too much. ‘“Everything happens so quickly that you have to be able to react quickly, but not with anything that could be inaccurate,” she explains. “You have to be able to confirm details before you put them out.” Not speaking on behalf of the airline was another key takeaway. “As the airport operator, there is very limited information we can speak about,” Rossow relates. “We just want the public to know that we’re com- municating and involved.” [The simulation] also prompted the communications team to consider logistic details such as information technology resources needed to operate remotely. “If I don’t have access to my office, I need to know how to respond,” she explains. “What would I need? Where is that backup location? How do I get more hands on deck to help with the fast-paced information that is flowing? Taking the time to think about that is important.” Navigating New Media With RST’s full-scale exercise complete, participants are still reflecting on lessons learned in September. The power and speed of social media made an impression on the communications team. It is important that each airport undertaking their full scale and tabletop exercises go beyond the usual training require- ments under FAR Part 139, and really strive to incorporate new issues (social media) into their usual scenarios of aircraft incidents. This exercise has undoubtedly provided some impressive skill growth for the Rochester International Airport. “Better decisions help us save lives and protect our employees and customers. These exercises are a great opportunity to fail in a risk-free event. We had a chance to make mistakes in a good way, and we learned so much from our mistakes. In the case of a real disaster, we are as prepared as we can be, and that’s important,” says Ken Jones, City of Rochester Emergency Manager. Facts and Figures Project: Full-scale emergency simulation Location: Rochester (MN) International Airport Timeline: Planning began in spring for September drill New Strategy: Communications staff practiced using social media during an emergency and leveraging local public information resources from outside the airport Primary Exercise Participants: Airport personnel; fire and police departments; Red Cross; various city departments; Mayo Clinic; Rochester Emergency Management Other Participants: Public works; public library; public utilities; public schools; Minnesota Department of Transportation; Department of Public Health, county sheriff ’s office Unique Dynamic: City-owned airport is managed by Rochester Airport Company, a subsidiary of Mayo Clinic Author Shaw, airport marketing, communications director Rossow, and Rochester city emergency manager Jones were contacted for follow-up interviews. Shaw is a staff writer for Airport Improvement with experience in social media and marketing airport technology. When asked what words of advice she would give airports working with social media, she cautioned that an airport should not let untrained personnel respond using the airport’s social media channels—with improper procedures in place for communication, it could become one disaster on top of another disaster. From her perspective working in the aviation industry, she thought a comprehensive crisis communication plan (CCP) would be most advantageous to

39 airports with single point of contact, such as the one Rochester has put into place. “It would prove difficult for airports to have multiple plans, especially when they have limited staff to deploy those plans.” Shaw also thought it would be much easier to drill with a single plan rather than multiple CCPs, and where mutual aid is initiated, a single plan and single point of contact would seem to be the most efficient use of resources. The main points that the article author thought were important with RST included: (1) It has a plan; (2) it is involving the community and has the community’s support; (3) it is daring to drill on new and difficult topics in order to “get it right” when the time comes; and (4) it is very clear on duties and precisely who will speak for the airport to the media. Rossow indicated that she was relatively new to the marketing/communications position at the airport and had very little time to be a major part of the exercise planning team; and that Jones took the lead by introducing the simulation of social media into the exercise. The city purchased the simu- lation in conjunction with the local healthcare system that is the management company of the airport, Mayo Clinic. Rossow said the important aspects to consider in the planning stages are the fact that the airport has a limited amount of staff that can be utilized and when mutual aid is activated there will be a UC and joint information center (JIC), so the better prepared the non-airport personnel can be, the better off the airport will be in the long run. Working together by designing and implementing exercises allows everyone to be better prepared. The airport employees were manning the disaster itself, and other city/county/Mayo employees were manning the UC/JIC, so “this exercise allowed us to make connections and build our recovery team.” Jones discussed the role of social media and emergency management, noting that people will seek validation or creditability when they hear a warning or find out that some sort of disaster has occurred. “When people hear a siren, they usually don’t take cover, but instead go outside to see what’s going on” to substantiate what they have just heard. In the past, “people would ask friends or neighbors, but in today’s world, people want to sort out what they’ve heard and they turn to social media to validate the information. Therefore, the emergency manager has an opportunity to pro- vide meaningful, credible information, and will have to utilize all types of social media; it is simply another communication tool.” The goal of the 2015 exercise was to improve upon the 2012 exercise, which Jones considered adequate; but in the spirit of continuous improvement, he wanted to further refine the medical exam- iner’s fatality management plan, family assistance plan with the airlines, and the public information plan. It was determined after 2012 that one person at the airport acting as a PIO, in addition to other duties, was not sufficient, so the goal was to broaden the Joint Information System (JIS) with city, county and Mayo employees and their respective resources. Jones purchased a 1-year subscription to the simulation product for public information, including social media. The vendor came in on separate occasions to train staff and run small scenarios during the year leading up to the airport’s triennial exercise. Since then, the healthcare system in the city of Rochester has purchased the simulation software and is now the lead in a regional JIS effort. In the design of the exercise, RST and the city emergency manager used the DHS HSEEP as a guide, but adapted it where necessary. When asked if the exercise had an assessment component, Jones said, “it is about continuous improvement—it is not about a score.” He believes that airport managers and their first responder partners should be less judgmental and more realistic, and con- centrate on improving the training and exercising until the group feels confident with the particular item being tested, and move to another item. RST’s example shows what any airport can do with exercises if it applies imagination, innovation, and careful pre-planning in an atmosphere of collegial cooperation with emergency response part- ners and major stakeholders. RST has a huge advantage in being part of a city and a famous medical institution that both have reputations for forward-looking applications of technology and emergency preparedness training, but the airport has gained maximum advantage from its two-way relationships with both organizations. The exercise described in this case example is notable in its extensive use of social media—both incoming and outgoing.

40 Description of Airport’s Exercise Program LAL has an active exercise program. The airport has chosen to keep itself “commercial service ready,” so it ensures that it meets all FAR Part 139 exercise and AEP requirements. Sun ‘n Fun affects the exercise program in many ways. LAL mostly devises its exercises in-house but sometimes contracts with an outside exercise writer. LAL works closely with city, county, regional, and state agencies to leverage assets for effective exercises. Why Are Specific Types Used? LAL conducted a tabletop exercise the year before the triennial test to identify any issues with the AEP prior to the full-scale test. LAL conducts monthly three-minute drills involving ARFF, air traffic control tower (ATCT), operations, and dispatch. For this “surprise” or no-notice drill, the scenario sheet (see Appendix I for sample) is distributed to only the Lakeland Police Department (LFD) Dispatch Supervisor and the ATCT controllers. At the designated time, the control tower will ring out the alert. Station 7 CASE EXAMPLE 4: LAKELAND LINDER REGIONAL AIRPORT (LAL) Lakeland Linder (Florida) Regional Airport is a reliever airport that is also a FAR Part 139 air- port, albeit currently without commercial air service. Its regional economic impact is more than $284 million. LAL is home to Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In, the second largest air show and exposition in the United States. Sun ‘n Fun draws more than 200,000 visitors a year. The primary source for this case example was an interview with Assistant Airport Director Nan Walsh and Adam Lunn, Airport Operations Coordinator—Exercise Planner, as well as follow-up emails with ARFF Chief John Maddox. Airport Demographics NPIAS category: Reliever. FAR Part 139: Yes. LAL is technically a Class I FAR Part 139 airport, but it has not had commercial service since the end of 2013. Some charter flights (Part 135). Number of passengers (2014): 0 (0 Part 139, unknown Part 135) Amount of cargo (2014): 0 Number of operations (2014): 103,039 Number of airport employees: 16 Number of airport employees (person-years) devoted to exercise development and execution: • 1 Employee: 12 Hours of Planning (Planning Group Meetings) • 1 to 3 Employees: 8 Hours for Exercise Set-up/Teardown • 16 Employees: 4 Hours for the Exercise Itself • 1 Employee or Central Florida Regional Planning Commission (CFRPC): 20 Hours estimated to write the exercise Budget for exercises: Governance: City department.

41 (ARFF, Heavy Rescue 73, and Engine 71) along with operations, and ARFF and operations will respond accordingly. Locations and scenarios are varied from month to month. Some are simple staging drills while others may require response to an Alert III location. LAL has had excellent feedback from all agencies saying that doing this is a great help. Once the drill is complete, LAL usually conducts a short debriefing to critique communications, response time, and other decisions made by each participant. The exercise manager also sends an e-mail to the ATCT Manager, ARFF Chief, and the 911 Communications Manager to ask them to share any items that might need to be worked on. The reason LAL designated a standard time (the third Sunday of every month at 0900) was to find a slot when participating agencies (Lakeland Fire Department, 911, ATCT) typically had a lighter than normal work load. In addition, an annual functional exercise is conducted to familiarize participants with response responsibilities for the annual air show. Tabletop exercises are typically used to prepare for the annual exercise as well as the air show. Full-scale exercises conducted every 3 years as required by FAR Part 139. Although LAL does not now have commercial air service, it maintains its Part 139 status. Nature of Airport’s Emergency Exercise Planning Process LAL airport drives the overall exercise scenario while the cooperating agencies develop their individual core competencies to be tested, thus creating a planning team. This allows the airport stakeholders to establish ownership of their specific areas and become vested in the success of the exercise. Once the scenario and core competencies have been identified, the airport works with a writer, contracted or in-house, who begins the process of developing the HSEEP planning docu- ments. The writer for the last exercise was contracted through the Central Florida Regional Planning Council (CFRPC) with funding provided by grants through Polk County Emergency Management’s Team Play Exercise. For the airport’s 2016 Triennial, LAL is working with the CFRPC to obtain an HSEEP planning grant through the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to contract an exercise writer. If funding is not awarded, the airport will, in partnership with other stakeholders, write the plan itself. Planning Exercises Participants Exercises at LAL are planned by the fullest possible range of airport departments and stakeholders, as well as community organizations that wish to become involved. LAL involves the eventual exer- cise evaluators from the beginning of the planning process: SMEs drawn from airport operations, ARFF, law enforcement, emergency management, and PIOs. LAL also involves its outside sponsors (i.e., entities that contribute funding or in-kind support) in exercise planning. This includes FBOs, tenants, and contractors. At least one major aspect of communications is included in every exercise. Communications are critical during any incident and the same applies for all of LAL’s emergency exercises. The airport’s western edge is located a half-mile from Hillsborough County and is surrounded by unincorporated Polk County on three sides, so numerous agencies from across the greater Lakeland area would prob- ably become involved in a large incident at the airport. During its 2013 Triennial, LAL specifically tested its ability to establish and maintain multidisciplinary/multijurisdictional communications, which it identified as Objective 3. Sources and Resources Used • HSEEP Planning Documents: – Situation Manual (SITMAN) – Exercise Plan (EXPLAN)

42 – Controller and Evaluator (CE) Handbook – Master Scenario Events List (MSEL) Package – After Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP). • Actors including students from local high schools and colleges. • Funding from departmental budget, grants, and sponsorships from contractors, tenants, and the FBO. • The airport hotel, which provides a venue for meetings and serves as the Airport’s JIC. • Scenarios and materials from previous exercises, which are adapted and/or edited for the new exercise. • Scenarios specifically designed to correct of discrepancies or weaknesses revealed by drills, exercises, inspections, or actual incidents. Use of NIMS and ICS LAL’s first objective for the 2013 Triennial was the evaluation of ICS implementation and the effec- tive transition to a UC. The airport ensures that its entire operations staff is trained in NIMS/ICS, and all incidents (and some larger events) are managed through the ICS framework. Tabletop Exercises LAL’s last TTX was conducted in a similar manner to the airport’s full-scale exercise in that it was based on HSEEP planning documents. After any drill or exercise, the airport will participate in a hot wash with all participating agencies and any evaluators if they are present. Resulting comments and suggestions are then incorporated into a full AAR approximately one week later. Any follow-up items will be addressed at this review, and changes to the AEP will be finalized at this meeting. Implementation of corrective actions is immediate and approved by the airport’s FAA Safety and Certification Inspector with the submittal of an updated AEP. Full-Scale Exercises LAL currently uses HSEEP documents such as checklists and timeline planning tools. In addition, the airport uses software programs to develop the exercise map and a master scenario events list and injury sheet. LAL uses these specific HSEEP templates and forms: • Actor waiver form • CE briefing • CE debriefing • Elected and appointed officials briefing • Exercise actor briefing • Exercise badges • HSEEP participant feedback form • Name tents (i.e., place cards) • Observer briefing • Player briefing template • Symptomatology card • Tabletop exercise briefing • Exercise evaluation guides • After Action Report/Improvement Planning (AAR-IP). LAL has a group of exercise controllers and a safety officer who observe to make sure the players are operating within the predefined timeline and script, and to ensure the safety of players and role

43 players actively involved in the exercise. LAL always has a formal exercise safety plan. Its require- ments are outlined in chapter two (page 5) of the airport’s Exercise Plan (EXPLAN). Evaluation of Effectiveness of Emergency Exercises The exercise planning team develops core competencies to be tested during the exercise. Exercise evaluators are then briefed on the targeted competencies and provide feedback to the associated agency during the hot wash following the exercise. In addition, an evaluator checklist is used that identifies specific elements of the response to be evaluated. How Lessons Learned Are Applied As noted, lessons learned are incorporated into an AAR which is reviewed by each participating agency approximately one week after the exercise and submitted to the airport’s certification inspector. Critical items identified in the AAR might be incorporated immediately. One real-life example involved a weather-related crisis that occurred in 2011 during the Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In and Expo. This event draws more than 150,000 spectators, 5,000 aircraft, and top airshow performers from across the United States. During the 2011 fly-in, a tornado ripped through the airport, overturning more than 40 aircraft and collapsing several large tents set up for the event. After the tornado passed, the airport could not account for all of its personnel. Some staff members had not been issued a city radio, and the airport did not have an established rally point for its staff. The airport immediately instituted an assembly point for future situations and purchased radios for every employee. Challenges and Barriers to Effective Exercises and How They May Be Overcome Funding is always a challenge for these types of exercises. It is important that airports consider the resources needed to pay for overtime and back-fill of employees, supplies for moulage, etc., and props, as well as food and water for participants. LAL overcame this challenge through grants and sponsor- ships and by budgeting funds for the exercise. In addition, relationships with other agencies such as the CFRDC, Polk County Emergency Management (PCEM), and other partners opened doors to funding that would otherwise be unavailable to an airport sponsor. Taking other agencies’ requirements into account in a manner that allowed them to “piggy-back” off LAL’s triennial exercise made additional non-airport funding available. Benefits LAL has greatly improved its efficiency when responding to aircraft incidents. Before 2011, the airport was a Class IV airport and not required to conduct triennial exercises. In 2011, the airport launched regularly scheduled commercial air service and upgraded to a Class I airport, which must complete a triennial exercise. Prior to the implementation of these exercises, it took approximately 4 hours to clear a major incident and reopen the airport. Through increased drills, enhanced train- ing, and the development of relationships with other agencies such as the Lakeland fire and police departments and the FAA Flight Standards District Office, the airport has cut that time down to less than one hour. Advice to an Airport Starting to Develop Its Emergency Exercise Program “Reach out to your mutual aid partners and get them involved with your exercise. Come armed with the reasons why it’s beneficial for them to participate. Build relationships with other airports from your region and lean on them for advice and evaluators as your program evolves. Another critical element is finding a qualified individual to write and direct your exercise within the NIMS/ICS framework” (N. Walsh, personal communication).

44 CASE EXAMPLE 5: MIAMI–OPA LOCKA EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (OPF) OPF is one of five airports in the Miami–Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) system. It is one of two reliever airports and one of the busiest GA airports in the country. OPF is not a FAR Part 139 airport. MDAD handles the emergency management and preparedness of all five airports in a highly integrated manner. The exercise described in the case example was the first full-scale exercise not conducted at Miami International Airport (MIA). The primary bases for this case example were inter- views with Nelson Mejias, General Aviation Airport Supervisor of Miami–Dade Aviation Department; and Captain Nick Marian of Miami–Dade Fire Rescue. The full-scale exercise was observed by a member of the study team. Airport Demographics NPIAS category: Reliever Number of passengers (2014): 0 (no FAR Part 139), some Part 135 charter passengers Amount of cargo (2014): Approximately 7 million pounds (3,500 tons), amount not tracked, mainly international outbound, no international inbound Number of operations (2014): 145,465, of which 9,734 (7%) were military operations (U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Miami) Number of airport employees: 15 Number of airport employees (person-years) devoted to exercise development and execution: Estimated 30 hours Budget for exercises: The estimated cost for this drill (MDAD, MDFR, MDPD, ATCT, and aircraft partner) was approximately $12,000.00–$15,000.00, all taken from current operating budgets. Each entity assumed the cost out of their budgets, including the aircraft partner. Governance: County department, multi-airport system. Description of Airport’s Exercise Program Before September 2015, OPF’s exercise program mostly consisted of OPF personnel participat- ing in or observing exercises at MIA. As a change of approach to enhance preparedness at OPF, the airport’s manager decided to perform a full-scale exercise. Because this was a first-ever full- scale exercise at OPF, the original intention was to keep it simple, but it quickly became larger and more complex than expected. Many of the airport’s partners wanted to participate, which turned out to be a good thing. For this first full-scale exercise, OPF and its partners developed a timeline in the first planning meeting. A planning checklist was not used. A drill briefing was prepared. OPF used an exercise control team. A formal written exercise safety plan was prepared and emailed to all exercise

45 developers. Perhaps the most important lesson learned was that the airport needs a dedicated notification phone line between the tower and the Miami–Dade County Police regional dispatch to be able to activate police immediately in case of an emergency, just as fire and airport operations are notified (N. Mejias, personal communication, May 9, 2016). Miami–Dade Fire Rescue (MIA ARFF) led the exercise planning process with direction from OPF airport operations. Participants in the planning process included the charter operator, FBO, MDAD, OPF Operations and Maintenance, MIA Operations and Maintenance, Miami–Dade Police Department, MIA ARFF and OPF-ARFF. An AAR was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercise. Frequency of Exercises OPF plans to do a full-scale exercise every 3 years and a tabletop exercise in each of the intervening years. However, it has not yet conducted a tabletop exercise. How Communications Are Incorporated in Emergency Exercises Testing of communications procedures and methods is intentionally incorporated in exercises. Radio and visual supervision were used to control the exercise. NIMS and ICS guidelines are incorporated into all aspects of running and controlling the exercise. How Lessons Learned Are Applied OPF does not have a formal AEP; the airport uses MDAD Policies and Procedures and OPF-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) for day-to-day operations. OPF plans to complete development of its AEP in 2016. Meetings are scheduled to review AARs, and issues identified have already led to changes in SOPs. Lessons learned have already been used to improve training. Future exercises— probably the next two TTX—will be used to test the development of the new AEP. These feedback loops are intentional. Challenges and Barriers to Effective Exercises and How Overcome Interviewees reported issues with funding, lack of personnel, and how an exercise affects day-to-day operations. “How do you drill without shutting down the airport?” Benefits Preliminary analysis of the September 2015 full-scale exercise identified: • Communications issues during the planning phase that forced the airport to establish a notifica- tion link from the ACTC to the MIA police department • IC structure challenges when responding with limited staff • ATC procedures that impeded response • Unfamiliarity with established emergency plan by airport personnel. Advice to an Airport Starting to Develop Its Emergency Exercise Program OPF decided to start its own exercise program in addition to the MDAD training and exercise pro- gram. In doing so, it jumped into the deep end of the pool and started with a full-scale exercise that involved a wide range of the airport’s partners. A conscious decision to bring partners into the pro- cess led to a complex but rewarding exercise, results of which will be used to help develop OPF’s new AEP. “Get emergency response partners to tell you [how] they would respond to an incident in your airport. And work from there” (N. Mejias, personal communication, Oct. 2016).

46 CASE EXAMPLE 6: OWATONNA DEGNER REGIONAL AIRPORT (OWA) Owatonna Degner Regional Airport (OWA) is a city-owned general aviation airport in rural Min- nesota. OWA is not a FAR Part 139 airport. This case example is based on an interview with Airport Director Dave Beaver. Airport Demographics: NPIAS category: General aviation Number of passengers (2014): None except occasional charter flights Amount of cargo (2014): N/A Number of operations (2014): Approximately 29,000 Number of airport employees: 3 airport, about 10 at on-site activities Number of airport employees devoted to exercise development and execution: Part-time airport manager Budget for exercises: $12,000 for last full-scale; $3,500/year (includes exercises and training) Governance: City department. Description of Airport’s Exercise Program According to airport director Beaver (D. Beaver, personal communication, Sept. 25, 2015). “OWA’s exercise program is based on its airport emergency plan. The AEP [see textbox] includes a require- ment for tabletop exercises and live exercises. The live exercises vary in nature between functional exercises and a limited full-scale exercise. The objectives are to make sure the AEP is reviewed and updated regularly and to enhance training. OWA’s commitment to exercises has grown out of experi- encing four crashes in the past 15 years. Two of the crashes were off-airport, but OWA was the nearest airport to the crash scene and therefore became centrally involved in the response and investigation. The exercise and training program has improved how OWA operates and its preparedness.” Types of Exercises Used OWA employs TTX, drills, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises, most of which grew out of lessons learned from Beaver’s experiences with the four crashes and involvement with community emergency training, including the city fire department. The airport manager is on the Owatonna Fire Department training planning committee, which ensures that airport training is an integral part of the city’s overall emergency training program. The most recent full-scale exercise was based on an aircraft accident scenario. It tested an airline’s response to a remote airport location, mutual aid response, communications, and search and rescue.

47 Occasions or Frequency of Exercises OWA’s AEP requires a TTX and AEP review at least every 3 years and a live exercise at least every 5 years. The last complete full-scale exercise was in 2000, but live exercises are undertaken more often than 5 years apart. Live exercises tend to focus on one or two items and only involve the specific partners for those functions, which makes doing live exercises more practical and efficient. Use of Sources and Resources OWA has benefitted through its active involvement in the Minnesota Council of Airports (MCOA), which provides guidebooks and other materials including exercise ideas. One notable resource for GA airports is the AirTap Guidebook. The OWA airport manager served on the steering committee for the development of AirTap. Everyone involved in live exercises at OWA has had NIMS and ICS training, but no one has had specific training in the past 3 years to assist with the development and deployment of exercises. Vol- unteers may not have NIMS or ICS training. For the last full-scale exercise, in 2000, the total budget was $12,000, with funding participa- tion from a grant from the Minnesota Department of Emergency Management. Incorporation of HAZMAT response in that exercise allowed the city and airport to qualify for the grant. Otherwise, exercise funding comes from individual city departments’ training budgets. The airport depart- ment’s training budget is approximately $3,500/year, and it is for all types of training, not just emergency training. How Communications Are Incorporated in Emergency Exercises Communications are always a factor in actual responses and in all exercises. Communications are intentionally included in all TTX and live exercises. Testing of interoperability is an objective AEP Extract (OWA) 4. Administration and Review General The Airport Manager shall be responsible for ensuring that the plan is updated as revisions become necessary. Personnel should periodically review the Airport Emergency Plan (AEP) and become familiar with policies, procedures, organizational responsibilities, and related information. Schedule of Review The following schedules of review shall be coordinated by the Airport Manager: • Telephone numbers contained in the AEP will be reviewed and revised as needed bi-annually to insure accuracy. • Radio frequencies used in support of the AEP will be tested at least monthly. • Emergency Resources shall be inspected at least monthly or in accordance with organizational policies. • Mutual aid agreements should be reviewed annually or as specified in the agreements. Training • At least every twelve (12) months the Airport Manager is responsible for conducting a review of the emergency plan. This review will involve all of the agencies that have responsibilities in the execution of the emergency plan. • At least every three (3) years a table-top review of the emergency plan will be conducted. • At least every five (5) years a live exercise will be conducted.

48 of every exercise, and the statewide 800 MHz system is the main tool. OWA’s exercises use ICS structure and follow NIMS policies, including the role of PIOs. The AEP includes specifics on radio frequencies and procedures to promote interoperability with non-airport emergency response partners. Exercises are designed to train outside responders on how to communicate in airport environment. Tabletop and Full-Scale Exercises OWA uses a detailed scenario to plan both TTX and live exercises, but the process is informal. The 2000 full-scale exercise was planned using a detailed timeline. OWA does not generally use an exercise control team. The airport manager generally directs or facilitates exercises. Overall, performing dual roles—exercise participant and exercise facilitator— is beneficial, as it gives the airport manager a better understanding of the issues. OWA does not use a formal exercise safety plan. However, there is always a clear safety briefing including nature of a “safety stop” at the beginning of every exercise. Evaluation of Effectiveness of Exercises Exercise evaluation and extraction of lessons learned is always a challenge at OWA. Evaluators from tenants or fire department rate the exercise for whether exercise objectives have been met, but the AAR process tends to be informal for most functional exercises. The results come back to the airport manager for implementation. No specific tools such as HSEEP templates are used to evaluate exercises. How Lessons Learned Are Applied OWA airport manager incorporates lessons learned into the AEP, into airport training plans and materials, into city training plans and materials, and into future exercises. Although the process is informal, the feedback loop is intentional. Steele County has a strong emergency management pro- gram. The director of the county emergency management department, who is also the Owatonna City Fire Chief, strongly encourages and assists in the application of lessons learned at the airport. The AEP is fully integrated into the county’s emergency plans. The AEP is accessible through the county’s emergency management website. Challenges and Barriers to Effective Exercises and How Overcome The main barriers reported are the limited staff, limited budget, time constraints, and multiple roles of airport employees. These challenges have been addressed by OWA’s decision to make addressing emergency preparedness a priority. The main tools for overcoming the barriers have been build- ing relationships with other departments, committing the airport manager’s time, and becoming a champion for emergency preparedness. OWA had an edge in these efforts because of its experience in dealing with the four crashes. Benefits OWA reports the following benefits from its exercise program: • Enhanced preparedness for emergencies • Strong relationships with partners • Better understanding of capabilities and responsibilities • Support from the city council and airport commission, who understand a plan is in place • Testing of hazard analysis.

49 Advice to an Airport Starting to Develop Its Emergency Exercise Program “It is important to design an exercise program that is compatible with the airport’s specific needs and resources. It is important to build relationships with partner agencies and to leverage those agencies’ resources to assist the airport’s exercise needs” (D. Beaver, personal communication, Sept. 24, 2015). OWA demonstrates that a very small GA airport with only three employees and 82 operations per day can have an active and effective exercise program. Partnering with local agencies and mutual aid partners leverages assets, reduces costs, and increases the scope of exercises. Having an AEP and incorporating exercise requirements in it are beneficial for a GA airport, even though neither is an FAA requirement. The airport has a lower frequency of tabletop and full-scale exercises than is set by FAA for FAR Part 139 airports, but nevertheless believes that the exercises have improved the airport’s preparedness. COMMON THEMES FROM CASE EXAMPLES The common thread among the case example airports is an acute need to control the outcomes of emergencies. The exercise at DEN pinpointed a need to control customer service events within the airport, primarily as the consequences of issues with the airport’s train. There have been other events in Denver, and nationally, that may create a need for an airport to take control over the customer service experience for their shared customers at the airport. As customer service pertains to emergen- cies, it can be affected by the level of response and recovery from an incident at other airports. The airports used in as case examples all have: • Dedicated resources to the development of, training for, and assessment of emergency manage- ment operations; • Engaged in significant collaboration with their regional jurisdictions to assist in the develop- ment, training, and assessment of their activities; and • Followed FEMA guidelines in the adoption of NIMS/ICS and HSEEP documents to improve efficiency in response and recovery activities. This investment in effort and resources further underlies the importance airports place on customer service. Each airport also devoted significant resources to developing a customized training regimen; and reached out to collaborate with outside agencies, to establish a team atmosphere that will bolster the likelihood of successful outcomes. Good relationships with partner agencies allow an airport to leverage those agencies’ resources to assist in its exercise needs. Government regulations provide a framework for certification, but not the steps needed to reach beyond a minimum standard. The airports represented in the case studies are willing to go beyond regulatory baselines to provide the highest level of customer service and safety, and see improved safety as a conduit to customer satisfaction. Any airport should start by developing an AEP. Each airport has spent time and resources developing a training regimen that is specialized for their airport while collaborating with outside agencies.