The Bozeman Airport hosts a large-scale aviation accident drill every three years

BOZEMAN — If you saw a slew of ambulances and fire trucks heading to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport Saturday morning, don’t worry. It was not a real emergency, but rather a large-scale air accident exercise that takes place every three years.

“Today we are practicing an accident involving a regional aircraft here at the airport. There are a number of fatalities and a number of injuries. “I’m working on how to deal with this if it were a real situation,” said Brian Sprenger, executive director of Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.

He told me about the triennial large-scale air accident drill they held on Saturday morning.

“Today we are dealing with around 200 people involved,” says Sprenger.

There was a large crew on site. First responders included the airport fire department, mutual aid from the Central Valley Fire District, ambulances and medical assistance from Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center.

There were also 45 actors who volunteered to act as injured and fatalities for first responders to practice life-saving measures. Sprenger tells me that it is important for everyone involved in the mock accident to have this opportunity to work together.

“Especially in a situation like this. No single being can handle everything. “It takes a large group and a lot of people to respond to the situation,” says Sprenger.

The large-scale air accident exercise takes place every three years. Sprenger tells me that new technologies are introduced every year at the airport and among first responders, so they need to stay up to date.

“With changing communications capabilities, new radio systems and the like, it’s really important for us to have the opportunity to take advantage of these,” says Sprenger

The exercise lasted from 10am to 2pm at the airport and was reportedly a success. But Sprenger tells me, even though they’ve been doing these fake accidents since about the ’60s…

“Every time we practice we learn new things about how to do things better.”