Airport, support agencies train today for disasters

VIENNA

Hijackers. Heroes. Explosions. Fire.

It’s a scene from an event that hopefully never will be reality at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna Township, where the commercial airliner Allegiant offers service.

But it’s an important practice exercise for those involved, so they know how to work together in the event of a disaster.

“It’s good to exercise different scenarios,” said Don Johnson, operations/security coordinator for the airport.

The full-state disaster drill on Friday morning at the 910th Airlift Wing involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Transportation Security Administration, airport officials, Western Reserve Port Authority, local law enforcement, firefighters, the Air Force Reserve and the Federal Aviation Administration. The scenario fulfilled the FAA’s requirement to conduct these exercises every three years.

Read more about the training in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.