Agencies Participate in Triennial Emergency Exercise at Kapalua Airport

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT) was joined by emergency responders and volunteers in a triennial emergency exercise at Kapalua Airport (JHM) in West Maui on Friday, April 17.

The drill simulated response to a Cessna 208 Grand Caravan having its nose gear collapse upon landing. The aircraft was simulated with a tractor. Volunteer actors and manikin served as the wounded.

Participants were: Kapalua Airport Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF), Kapalua and Kahului Airport personnel, Maui Fire Department, Maui Police Department, American Medical Response, and community volunteers.

The exercise is a mandatory certification requirement by the Federal Aviation Administration which tests airfield disaster preparedness and response by simulating a full-scale aircraft emergency disaster. The drill evaluates the operational capacity and readiness of emergency response in a stressful environment.

The exercise did not impact operations at the airport.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.