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Airport Emergency Exercise Plan

Incident Commander EOP Exercise Tool

Exercise Planning Mode

Incident Commander Role by Phase

Your responsibilities move through three distinct phases. Preparation builds the foundation, execution tests your command decisions, and evaluation turns the exercise into real improvement.

01 · Before

Preparation

  • Review the AEP — confirm command structure, authorities, and agency roles.
  • Understand scenario & objectives — know the emergency type and what is being tested.
  • Confirm your role — ensure official IC designation and ICP-to-EOC reporting lines.
  • Join planning meetings — help design the exercise around the systems you rely on.
02 · During

Execution

  • Establish command & the ICP — set up a clearly identifiable command location.
  • Conduct size-up — gather information fast, prioritize, task resources.
  • Build & communicate the IAP — state objectives, strategy, critical functions.
  • Assign command staff — Safety Officer, PIO, Liaison Officer.
  • Coordinate multi-agency response — fire, police, EMS, ops, tenants.
03 · After

Evaluation

  • Hot Wash — immediate feedback on what worked and what did not.
  • After Action Report — document strengths, gaps, corrective actions, timelines.
  • Update the AEP — fold lessons learned back into procedures.
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Command principle: the IC directs, but does not personally fight the fire. Establish the ICP early, delegate the Safety Officer, PIO and Liaison Officer, and keep your own span of control manageable.

IC Role Cards — Command & General Staff

Tabletop Exercise Team Labels

Two distinct sets of labels matter: the staff who run the drill, and the simulated response teams that play in it.

Exercise Staff — Who Runs the Drill

Players / Participants

Actively role-play their real-world positions — including you as IC — and respond to the scenario.

Facilitators

Present scenario updates (injects) and guide discussion. They do not participate in response decisions.

Evaluators / Observers

Subject matter experts who watch and document performance against objectives without intervening.

Note-takers / Scribes

Record the timeline, key decisions, and identified gaps for the After Action Report.

Controllers

Ensure safety and scenario progression as scripted. More common in full-scale exercises.

Simulated Response Teams — Functional Groups

🎯Incident / Unified Command

Core leadership: IC, Safety Officer, Liaison Officer, PIO.

🚒Fire / Rescue & ARFF

Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting plus structural fire response.

🚑EMS / Medical / Triage

Emergency medical services, casualty collection, hospital coordination.

🚔Law Enforcement / Security

Airport police, perimeter control, scene security.

🛫Airport Operations / Airside

Runway closures, NOTAMs, airfield management.

👨‍👩‍👧Passenger / Family Assistance

Uninjured passenger gathering, Friends & Relatives Center, reunification.

📢Public Information / Media

Press briefings and public messaging.

📦Logistics / Finance

Resource ordering, tracking, cost documentation.

🏢Airlines / Tenant Reps

Airline operations and ground handler coordination.

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How to choose labels: match them to your exercise objectives. Use ICS sections (Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Admin) to test internal command. Use department names for smaller single-organization drills. Always mirror the terminology in your AEP.

Key Locations — Airport Reference Layout

Generic airport layout for exercise planning: Runway oriented north–south, parallel taxiway and apron on the west side, passenger terminal beyond the apron, perimeter road along the east boundary, and the airport support zone to the south. Hover any numbered marker to highlight it.

Rename or add locations, adjust zone rings — saved in this browser.
09 27 RUNWAY · ADJUST TO YOUR AIRPORT TAXIWAY APRON ADJUST TO YOUR AIRPORT TERMINAL ADJUST TO YOUR AIRPORT PASSENGER TERMINAL TWR (drag to move) TWR ARFF (drag to move) ARFF FIRE STATION RAPID RWY ACCESS Perimeter Rd ACCESS ROAD AIRPORT SUPPORT ZONE N Not to scale WARM ZONE COLD ZONE ✕ CRASH SITE Crash Site & Zones (drag to move) WIND
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Placement logic: the runway runs north–south with the apron and terminal on the west side. ARFF sits southwest of the apron for rapid runway access. The ICP is positioned upwind (west of the crash site) and outside the warm zone. Triage and CCP are further west, using the apron and ARFF zone. The FAC is in the terminal complex, off the operational area. The morgue uses a remote corner of the airfield, well away from the terminal.

Aircraft Incident Zones

The scene is organized into three concentric safety zones, adapted from hazardous materials response. Aircraft accidents involve high fuel loads and composite materials, so the boundaries matter.

OUTER CORDON COLD ZONE GREEN · SUPPORT WARM ZONE YELLOW · TRANSITION HOT ZONE RED · EXCLUSION INNER CORDON

Hot Zone

Red / Exclusion Zone

The immediate hazard area: wreckage, active fire, fuel, structural collapse, and hazardous cargo.

Only fully PPE-equipped rescue personnel (e.g. ARFF) enter — and only for life-saving missions. The IC remains outside this zone.

Warm Zone

Yellow / Transition Zone

A controlled buffer between the hazard and the safe area. Hosts triage, casualty collection, decontamination, and PPE donning/doffing.

Access limited to authorized personnel. The Incident Command Post may sit here or just inside the Cold Zone.

Cold Zone

Green / Support Zone

The safe area outside the hazard, free from contamination. Contains the Command Post, staging areas, media briefing area, and the temporary morgue.

This is where the Incident Commander and support staff typically operate.

Perimeters

Inner Cordon

Controls access to the immediate hazard area — roughly the Hot / Warm boundary.

Outer Cordon

A larger secure perimeter for emergency vehicle movement and crowd control, encompassing the whole operation.

Casualty Flow Through the Zones

Hot Zone
Extrication & Rescue
ARFF removes survivors from the wreckage
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Warm Zone
Triage & Treatment
Sorted Red / Yellow / Green, stabilised
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Cold Zone
Transport & Evacuation
Loaded at the Transportation Area to hospitals
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Test the zones in your TTX: inject "wind shifts 45 degrees" or "secondary explosion" to see whether your team knows how to re-establish boundaries. Inject a "media breach of the Outer Cordon" to test your Liaison Officer and security response.

Types of Airport Emergencies

Categorizing potential emergencies helps you test specific response plans and resource coordination. Frameworks from ICAO, EASA and the FAA group them broadly like this.

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Aircraft-Related

  • Accidents on or off the airport
  • In-flight emergencies — Full Emergency and Local Standby
  • Gear-up landing, disabled aircraft on runway
  • Ground collisions and taxiway incidents
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Non-Aircraft

  • Structural fires — terminal, hangar, cargo
  • Fuel farm / storage fires
  • HazMat / Dangerous Goods spills
  • Radiological incidents
  • Utility failures (e.g. movement area lighting)
  • Water rescue situations (airport perimeter)
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Security & Unlawful Interference

  • Sabotage and bomb threats
  • Unlawfully seized aircraft (hijack)
  • Armed attacks and hostage situations
  • Acts of sabotage at airport installations
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Public Health & Environmental

  • Communicable disease spread via air travel
  • Severe outbreak affecting airport staff
  • Natural disasters — earthquake, flood, tornado
  • Volcanic ash events
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Compound Emergencies

  • Two or more emergencies simultaneously or in quick succession
  • Example: aircraft accident + fuel fire + HazMat spill
  • Excellent stress test for your Incident Command System and resource management

Aircraft Reference Specifications

Reference specifications for common regional aircraft types used in airport emergency planning. Figures are typical published values — always confirm against the operator's current type manual before an exercise.

Quick Comparison

Aircraft Pax Crew Total Fuel Capacity Wheels Boarding Door Baggage
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Verify before the exercise: seat counts vary by operator and cabin fit. Confirm exact pax/crew numbers and fuel figures with the operator's load sheet or type manual, and use those numbers in your casualty-count planning.

Aircraft Detail Cards

Where Everything Is — Diagrams

REAR DOOR — BOARDING FWD DOOR / CARGO FWD BAGGAGE HOLD REAR BAGGAGE HOLD PROPELLER NOSE GEAR · 2 WHEELS MAIN GEAR · 2 WHEELS SIDE PROFILE — DOORS · HOLDS · GEAR
Typical turboprop layout (ATR / Dash 8 family). Rear door is the normal boarding point on ATR types.
NOSE GEAR MAIN GEAR PORT WING FUEL TANK STBD WING FUEL TANK Landing gear positions (retracted) Integral wing fuel tanks TOP VIEW — WINGS · FUEL · GEAR POSITIONS
Fuel is carried inside the wing structure (integral tanks). Landing gear retracts into the fuselage and wing roots.

Fuel & Airport Considerations

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Check your airport's fuel storage and refuelling capability. Some smaller airports have no aviation fuel storage or refuelling facility on-site. Aircraft arriving must carry sufficient fuel for the return leg, or fuel must be pre-positioned by the operator.

Consider how your national supply chain works: where is jet fuel stored, how is it distributed to your airport, and what happens if that supply chain is disrupted during an emergency?
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Exercise injects this enables: "Aircraft declares minimum fuel and requests priority landing — no fuel available for turn-around." Or "Operator requests emergency fuel bowser delivery by road/sea." Both test your logistics and liaison functions hard.

Passenger & Baggage Flow

1 Check-in & Security Processed inside the terminal building.
2 Walk to Aircraft Passengers walk across the apron or use buses — plan for remote stands vs jet bridges.
3 Board at Main Door Turboprops often board via the rear door; jets use the forward left door.
4 Baggage Loaded Checked bags go into the forward and/or aft baggage holds.
5 Deplaning Passengers exit the same door and walk back across the apron.

Emergency Planning Implications

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Evacuation Routes

  • Turboprops: four main exits (two per side) plus overwing exits
  • Jets: two to four main passenger doors plus overwing exits
  • Small types: main door plus rear exit
  • Survivors will exit onto the apron or runway surface — plan triage accordingly
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Fuel Load & Fire Risk

  • An ATR 72 may carry up to 5,000 kg of Jet A-1 in the wings
  • Wing tanks mean a wing strike can release large volumes of fuel
  • A Boeing 737-800 can carry up to 26,020 L — the largest fuel load in this table
  • Check your airport's foam concentrate stock against the largest expected fuel load
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Baggage & Security

  • Forward and aft holds must be identified early for any security or HazMat scenario
  • Small types have low hold weight limits — expect light loads
  • Hold access doors are usually on the right side — useful for ARFF positioning
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Disabled Aircraft Recovery

  • All types in this table use tricycle retractable gear
  • A gear-up landing means the aircraft rests on its engine nacelles and rear fuselage
  • A disabled aircraft on the only runway closes the airport entirely
  • Recovery equipment may need to come by sea or air — factor this into your timeline
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Planning number to use: take the souls-on-board figure from your scenario — it drives your triage capacity, ambulance requirements, hospital notification, and Family Assistance Center sizing.

TTX Flow & IC Checklist

Use this checklist during your tabletop exercise to track the Incident Commander's progress through the emergency response sequence.

Exercise Flow

1 Alert & Notification
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2 Size-Up & Assessment
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3 ICP Establishment
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4 IAP Development
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5 Resource Tasking
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6 Zone Establishment
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7 Casualty Management
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8 Family Assistance
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9 Media Management
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10 Recovery & AAR

IC Checklist

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How to use: check off each item as the IC completes it during the exercise. The progress bar tracks completion. Use the Reset button to start over. State is saved in your browser between sessions.

Glossary

Regulatory & Guidance References

The source documents behind this dashboard's zones, checklist and exercise methodology. Use them to justify decisions in your AAR.