A Triennial Labor of Love
When I talk about airport emergency management, I always include in that conversation, Triennial Full-Scale Exercises are one of my favorite things to do. When I talk with other airport ops staff and emergency managers, their reaction is usually one of dread at having to complete them every three years. But I love and embrace them.
My first triennial exercise, I’ll admit, was not a fantastic piece of work, but I was learning. In fairness to me, I did not have complete design and control of that exercise, it was led by County Emergency Management at the time, but my foundation for future success was set.
A few years after that first exercise, standards for airport emergency planning would change, get fresh new, FEMA National Incident Management (NIMS) guidance. For me, the new FAA Advisory Circular standards would mean being more collaborative with our community EM partners, standards for planning, conducting and evaluating airport exercises. The Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) became the framework for every exercise I would do.
The opportunity to work with our emergency management community and build meaningful relationships is at the heart of what I do. The positive impact of full-scale exercises on strengthening emergency preparedness is truly immeasurable
I have had wonderful opportunities over the last 12 months to conduct and participate in triennial exercises with some awesome airport EM colleagues. The partnerships created by supporting my amazing friends and colleagues will last a lifetime and I will always look forward to our next exercise!
