RAPID CITY, SD (5/27/08) – Rapid City Regional Airport is looking for a few good people to portray accident victims and loved ones of victims. No experience required.

The airport plans to conduct a full-scale training exercise on Saturday, June 21, which will simulate an airport emergency on the airport grounds to test our community's readiness to respond to an aircraft accident. Firefighters, emergency medical personnel, airport staff, law enforcement, emergency management, airline officials, American Red Cross and others will all be responding to the staged emergency.

To make the scenario as realistic as possible, airport officials are recruiting the public to help portray injured passengers and other plane crash victims according to Mason Short, Airport Executive Director. He is looking for as many as 50 volunteers willing to spare a Saturday morning on the ground in various states of distress.

In addition, some volunteers could get speaking parts, playing distraught family members or other dramatic roles.

The exercise will begin about 8 a.m. and be finished by about 1 p.m. If the weather is bad on June 21, the exercise will be rescheduled to Saturday, June 28, Short said.

Rapid City Regional Airport is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate as a public-use airport with scheduled passenger service. To maintain this certification, the FAA requires that the airport conduct an emergency exercise every three years. The entire incident-command system will be part of the exercise.

The American Red Cross is coordinating the volunteers. If you would like to participate, please contact the American Red Cross at 342-4010.

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For more information, contact:
Mason Short, RCRA Executive Director – 605/394-4195
Mason.Short@rcgov.org