Bozeman airport holds triennial full-scale aircraft accident exercise [Video]

BOZEMAN — If you saw a ton of ambulances and firetrucks headed toward Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport on Saturday morning, don’t worry. It wasn’t a real emergency, it was the triennial full-scale aircraft accident exercise.

“Today we’re practicing a regional jet aircraft having an accident here at the airport. There’s a number of fatalities and a number of injured. Working through the process of handling that if it were a real situation,” says Brian Sprenger, the chief executive officer of Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.

He told me about the triennial full-scale aircraft accident exercise they held Saturday morning.

“We’re looking at about 200 people involved in this today,” says Sprenger.

There was a large crew on scene. First responders included the airport fire department, mutual aid from Central Valley Fire District, ambulances, and medical aid from Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center.

There were also 45 actors who volunteered as …