Airport Fire Drill - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

La Crosse, Wisconsin (WXOW) - The La Crosse Municipal Airport conducted a full-scale emergency exercise Wednesday. This is a drill that they do only once every three years. The FAA requires that all of the emergency agencies get together every three years to train and go over the process of an airport emergency.

This is the first year that the airport has had a mobile aircraft fuselage to train with. It is set up just like a real plane and even has sound effects of a crash to create a more authentic environment for training. The emergency staff went through every step that they would if a real crash had happened including treating the crash dummies for injuries.

We spoke with Interim Airport Manager, Clinton Torp, he said, "I think the most important part of this training is really just bringing everybody together...practicing the communications...the potential scenarios...and just making sure that everyone understands the different aspects of an aircraft."

The drill also tested the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System or MABAS and the Incident Command System or ICS.