For Immediate Release

April 11, 2018

Contact:

Elise Durham                                                                                      Andrew Gobeil 
Director of Policy and Communications                                    Deputy Director of Communications

(678) 920-0085                                                                                    (404) 227-2884                                       elise.durham@atl.com                                                                   andy.gobeil@atl.com

Hartsfield-Jackson to Hold Full-Scale Disaster Drill
Firefighters, law enforcement, rescue personnel and nearly 150 volunteers to participate
in triennial ‘Big Bird’ exercise

ATLANTA – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) officials on Thursday, April 12, will host Big Bird 2018, a triennial mass casualty response drill. The exercise is designed to test the effectiveness of ATL’s emergency response by replicating a full-scale airplane disaster in which Airport personnel will mobilize to a mock aircraft crash, extinguish the fire, and treat and triage nearly 150 “victims,” portrayed by ATL volunteers.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to conduct annual emergency preparedness drills and at least one full-scale drill every three years.

WHO:                         Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials

Atlanta Police Department
Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department   

WHAT:                       Hartsfield-Jackson to host Big Bird Disaster Drill 2018

WHEN:                       Thursday, April 12

                                    8 a.m. – media arrival (media must be in place by 8:15 a.m.)

                                    8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. (burn will take place)

9 – 11 a.m. (rescue, treatment and triage of “victims”)

WHERE:                     ATL Fire Training Center

                                    Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

                                    860 Lake Mirror Road

                                    Atlanta, GA 30349

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) is the world’s busiest and most efficient airport, serving nearly 104 million passengers annually with nonstop service to more than 150 U.S. destinations and 70 international destinations in more than 50 countries. ATL boasts a direct economic impact of $34.8 billion in metro Atlanta and a total direct economic impact of $70.9 billion in Georgia. The Airport is the largest employer in Georgia, with more than 63,000 individuals working on-site. The Airport is a frequent recipient of awards of excellence for concessions, operations, sustainability, architectural engineering and construction. In 2016, ATL set in motion a multibillion-dollar capital improvement program, ATLNext, which will modernize the Domestic Terminal, extend two concourses, construct several parking decks, add a sixth runway, expand cargo facilities and pave the way for a 440-room InterContinental Hotel with Class A office space. For more information, visit www.atl.com.

NOTE TO NEWS EDITORS

For HD broadcast quality b-roll of Airport operations, events and generic interior/exterior shots, visit our ATL Video Newsroom at https://vimeo.com/atlairport/channels