Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integrated into Airport’s Emergency Response Exercise

On May 14, a team from the FAA’s Airport Technology Research and Development Branch (ATR) worked with Atlantic City International Airport to integrate small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) into the airport’s triennial full-scale emergency response exercise. This exercise provided an opportunity to demonstrate the capability of sUAS to provide an “eye in the sky” view to enhance overall situational awareness for the incident commander and other aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) personnel during an incident. The exercise included a simulated accident involving a Boeing 757 aircraft, with dozens of local volunteers playing the role of injured passengers. Several local fire and emergency medical services departments also took part in the exercise.

Leading up to the event, the ATR team coordinated extensively with local stakeholders, including the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA), the local air traffic control facility, and the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard. Although inclement weather prevented sUAS from being flown during the exercise, the ATR team successfully demonstrated the ability to stream live video from multiple sUAS platforms on the ground to the incident commander and the airport’s emergency operations center. These platforms were situated on the roof of ACY’s ARFF facility and the FAA’s sprinter van, both of which were adjacent to the simulated accident scene.