This is just a drill: Massive training operation takes over airport
Those living around or driving near the airport late Monday night and early Tuesday morning may have been startled by the large number of law enforcement officers and emergency vehicles swarming around the facility.
Thankfully, it was all just a drill.
The El Paso International Airport was the site of a full-scale emergency exercise with local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as non-governmental organizations and volunteers.
The goal is to prepare the airport for an attack or other emergency and make sure the traveling public is safe.
An ABC-7 photographer was on the scene as the exercise took over the public areas of the airport, including ticketing, baggage claim and the main lobby.
The exercise started at 10 p.m. Monday and was expected to end in the early morning hours Tuesday.
Organizers asked residents to not be alarmed and to avoid the area during the exercise, which is part of statewide training.
The FBI and DPS were just two of the participating agencies. Here is a list of the rest of the exercise’s participants:
State of Texas
Select Texas Emergency Management Council Departments and Agencies
Texas Army National Guard
Texas Department of Public Safety
Fusion Centers
Multi-Agency Tactical Response Information eXchange (MATRIX)
North Texas Fusion Center
Southwest Texas Fusion Center
Texas Joint Crime Information Center
Local Agencies and Entities
City of El Paso – Department of Public Health
El Paso City/County Office of Emergency Management
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office
El Paso Fire Department
El Paso International Airport
El Paso Medical Examiner’s Office
El Paso Police Department
Pebble Hills High School
The University of Texas at El Paso
Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo
Federal Departments and Agencies
Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Homeland Security Investigations
National Transportation Safety Board
North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force
Transportation Security Administration
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Attorney’s Office – Eastern, Western, Southern and Northern Districts of Texas
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Marshals Service
Non-Governmental Organizations
American Red Cross
Border Regional Advisory Council
El Paso Children’s Hospital
El Paso Specialty Hospital
Las Palmas Medical Center
The Hospitals of Providence: Sierra Campus, Memorial Campus, Transmountain Campus, East Campus and Del Sol
The Salvation Army
University Medical Center
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
