Earthquake test being conducted at San Francisco Airport

A test is taking place at San Francisco Airport (SFO) today (September 16th) to assess the efficiency of the hub's earthquake response plan.

The airport conducts a full-scale exercise every year that involves emergency services including the US Coast Guard, the California Highway Patrol and the airport division of the San Francisco Fire Department.

For the 19th consecutive year, the test will also include student volunteers from Terra Nova High School, who will be 'assigned' injuries and asked to portray injured victims for the response teams to treat.

The exercise takes place across all of San Francisco Airport's terminals and is designed to provide a thorough test of the base's ability to deal with a natural disaster.

Airport director John L Martin said: "SFO takes great pride in having emergency response capabilities that are second to none.

"While federal law mandates we hold a major exercise only once every three years, SFO holds one every year to ensure that all emergency responders and our mutual aid support agencies are current and familiar with every facet of the airport's emergency response plan."

The airport recently hosted a ceremony to mark the completion of the steel frame installation stage of its Terminal 2 renovation project, with representatives from Virgin America and American Airlines among the attendees.

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