FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2018

CONTACT:
Frederick Badlissi
(424) 646-5260

LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS STAFF AND AIRPORT POLICEATTENDADVANCED EMERGENCY READINESS COURSE



Participants from LAWA Airport Operations, Maintenance Services Division, Information Technology & Management Group, Facilities Maintenance and Utilities Group, Public Relations Division, LAX Airport Police Division, and Los Angeles City Fire Department completed a five-day emergency preparedness course, which covered planning, logistics, operations, finance and more.

(Los Angeles, CA)Employees from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Van Nuys Airport (VNY), and first responders from the Airport Police Department (APD) and Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD)just returned from a one-week advanced emergency management training program designed to enhance inter-agency integration and operational efficiency in preparation for a possible emergency at LAX or VNY. The training is part of LAWA’s ongoing commitment to emergency preparedness and security innovation. It took place at Texas A&M's Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) in College Station, Texas, and was paid for through federal grant funding.

“Emergency preparedness is one of the highest priorities at LAWA, and working together with the APD and LAFD is essential to resolving an airport-based incident in a safe and secure manner,” said Keith Wilschetz, LAWA’s Deputy Executive Director for Airport Operations and Emergency Management. “Through this training, we’re giving our people the tools and building the skills they will need to meet the next emergency’s challenges. We want to thank the LAFD for participating with us, and especially TEEX, for their top-notch curriculum and energetic atmosphere.”

The program brought together airport operations, airport external affairs staff and first responders working together to address multiple types of crises that could possibly happen in an airport environment, and is just one of many emergency preparedness measures that are held continuously inside and outside of LAWA airports.

“Continued training and exercises are a critical part of any first responder’s background, but the TEEX curriculum gave us something unique, including a great environment where participants could apply what they know in a collaborative and engaging environment,” said Chief of LAWA’s Airport Police Division, David L. Maggard, Jr. “We’re one piece of a very important plan that involves agencies, from the local to federal level, that keep the airport safe, so collaborative training exercises like this are always an incredible opportunity for us to build those relationships.”

The training exercises focused on enabling staff members from LAWA and first responders to work together to resolve mock crises that could happen in an airport environment. Staff from LAWA, which included personnel from APD, Airport Operations, Public Relations, Maintenance Services, Information Management and Technology, and Facilities Maintenance and Utilities divisions worked with first responders to exercise common tasks related to providing logistical, planning, accounting, operational and communications support during an incident. During these exercises, participants were also exposed to tasks beyond their normal roles which helped them develop an appreciation for tasks that are not part of their daily jobs, as well as insights on how each task is important in resolving an incident.

The TEEX curriculum adheres to the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which is a comprehensive national approach to incident management that is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines. NIMS is used by agencies to coordinate emergency response, as well as provide pre-event planning and resource provisioning ahead of major events.

TEEX's training is part of the robust roster of emergency training conducted by LAWA, airport employees, and first responders operating on LAWA's airport campuses. LAWA routinely participates in "Trunk Top Training" exercises with its federal, state, county, and local partners, bringing together the agencies to conduct mock responses to possible threats, as well as training exercises hosted by other agencies throughout the year. In September 2016, LAWA began a pilot program to airport service workers, primarily those who directly interact with guests in the terminals, with emergency response training.

The TEEX training program was paid for by a $150,000 Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant that was awarded to LAWA through its participation in the Los Angeles/Long Beach Urban Area Working Group and Approval Authority. This funding originates through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and flows through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Funds are administered at the regional level by the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Public Safety.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX is the fourth busiest airport in the world, second in the United States, and was named one of Skytrax’ 2017 Top 10 Most Improved Airports. LAX served more than84 million passengers in 2017. LAX offers 737 daily nonstop flights to 100 cities in the U.S. and 1,386 weekly nonstop flights to 88 cities in 44 countries on 73 commercial air carriers. LAX ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.2 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion. LAX handled 697,138 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2016.

An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital-improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion, $966 million in state and local taxes, and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX is also the second most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.

For more information about LAX, please visit www.flyLAX.com or follow on Twitter @flyLAXAirport, on rel="noopener noreferrer" Facebook at www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport, and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1.

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

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