Santa Maria Public Airport simulates deadly plane crash for drill

May 28—Emergency responders from several local agencies conducted an emergency services drill at the Santa Maria Public Airport on Friday morning, simulating a deadly plane crash to fulfill federal requirements.

Members of the Santa Maria Fire Department, Santa Maria Police Department, Guadalupe Police Department, Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, Federal Aviation Administration and more participated in the exercise that simulated an in-flight emergency causing an aircraft to crash-land.

Members of the community may have noticed an increased presence of first responders or even smoke from the props during the exercise.

Two members of the public participated as live casualties, while medical dummies simulated nearly 30 victims of the crash.

The drill helps the Santa Maria Airport District meet its requirement as a commercial airport to conduct a full live-fire drill every three years.