King County International Airport – better known to most as Boeing Field – will be the scene of two “mass-casualty-incident drills” each of the next five weekdays, and since you might notice all the emergency vehicles in the area, this is a heads-up. As the official announcement put it, “Because officials are trying to create a realistic response, the media is asked to help us notify the public that this is only a drill … and is a potential visual distraction.” Boeing Field isn’t that far from eastern West Seattle, and past drills have caught notice and brought questions here, so we’re sharing the alert too – click ahead for the details (quoted from the advisory sent to us and other media in the region):

The dates of the drills are Sept. 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26. There will be two drills each day. The sessions run from 9 a.m.-noon and 1:30-4:30 pm. …

These practice scenarios help prepare firefighters, police officers, and paramedics for an actual plane crash by creating a realistic environment with a large number of “patients.” While emergency responders deal with patients daily, MCI situations are relatively rare and have different medical protocols. Aircraft or bus crashes and hazardous materials leaks are examples of MCI situations.

The drill also helps the King County International Airport meet FAA requirements for its Airport Emergency Plan.

Over the course of the 10 sessions, approximately 700 personnel including first responders, communications specialists, “volunteer actors” and Airport personnel will participate in the drill. The exercise objectives include:

* Testing of the Mass Casualty Incident plan
* Ability of different agencies to work and communicate together during a large scale event
* Ability of rescuers to operate in and near an airplane
* Organization of “unified command”
* Use of the Incident Command System
* Meets the criteria required by FAA for KCIA’s Airport Emergency Plan

The scenario will involve a large aircraft at the south end of the KCIA. An aircraft body mockup will represent a commercial jet, and dozens of volunteer actors will have make-up to represent various injuries. Emergency vehicles will respond, stage, and arrive at the crash scene just as they would during a real emergency. …

The participating agencies: King County International Airport, King County Medic One, Tukwila Fire Department, Kent Fire Department RFA, Renton Fire Department, SeaTac Fire Department, Maple Valley Fire Department, Seattle Fire Department, King County Fire District 20, Valley Regional Fire Authority, Burien/Normandy Park FD, North Highline Fire Department, King County Sheriff’s Office, The Boeing Company, Valley Communications, South King Fire and Rescue.