According to the Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport will conduct a full-scale emergency exercise simulating an aircraft crash on Wed., July 30th, between 9am and Noon.

The exercise will test airfield disaster preparedness and response as required by the FAA every three years.

It’d be cool if something like this happened, but we kinda doubt it:

According to the Port:

With the availability of the soon-to-be-activated third runway, this will be the first full-scale exercise to occur on a Sea-Tac runway in at least 25 years. The exercise will NOT affect or delay any air travel. Both of Sea-Tac’s current runways will be open as normal and the exercise will NOT affect any customer activity within the terminal.

Over 100 volunteers will participate as ‘victims’ next to a mock-up aircraft fuselage placed in the middle of the third runway along with wrecked cars representing various debris designed to drill extrication procedures. Volunteers will arrive at approximately 6:30 a.m. for make-up to represent a variety of injuries that will test medical care triage practices.

Dozens of the King County area mutual aid police and fire agencies will participate in the exercise with an estimated 50 -75 pieces of equipment from fire engines to aid cars and up to 175 fire fighters. Additional police officers from the area are also expected to participate alongside first responders from the Port of Seattle Fire and Police Departments, Sea-Tac Airport Security, Airport Operations, Public Information and the Port Environmental team.

In addition, other key exercise participants will include airport and airline representatives, the FAA, the Red Cross, King County Emergency Management Division, and the King County Medical Examiner.

A comprehensive report will be prepared post-exercise to identify any gaps in emergency plans and then prioritize follow-up corrective actions.

SOURCE:

• Port of Seattle

Last Thursday, Burien Towing’s Mark Storer, 51, and his son Brian, 24, were killed in a floatplane crash near Shelton, WA.

A memorial service for both has been scheduled for this Thursday, July 31st at 11am at the Church by the Side of the Road, which is located at 3455 S 148th Street in Tukwila (map below).

According to the Burien Towing website:

• Mark and Brian took the afternoon off work to spend some time together in Mark’s amphibious airplane.
• The two were last seen enjoying the day on Lake Nahwatzel, before the plane’s engine failed shortly after taking off. Both died in the crash.
• Mark was a dedicated father and husband. He loved his family and will be missed by many.
• Brian was married and was a father of 2 young boys, ages 2 and 1. He also loved his family very much and will be missed.
• Both Mark and Brian dedicated much of their lives to the family business. Airport Towing mourns their passing and supports the families they have left behind.
• Any gifts or cards for the families are currently being collected at the main office:

Burien Towing
817 SW 149th Street
Burien, WA 98166

• All who knew Mark and Brian are invited to attend the service.
• Prior to the ceremony, a procession will lead the family to the Church from the Airport Towing office at 817 SW 149th Street in Burien. The lead car will leave the office at 10am.
• If you would like to join the procession, please arrive prior to 9:45am at the Airport Towing office for staging.
• All law enforcement vehicles, fire apparatus, tow trucks, and motorcycles are welcome in the procession.
• For more information on the procession, fill out the Contact form and Jared will respond to your inquiry.
• Following the service will be a reception at the Church. All are welcome to attend.
• A fund is currently being set up to benefit Brian’s family. Brian leaves behind a wife of 3 years and two sons, ages 2 and 1. Information on the Storer Family Memorial Fund will be posted when available.
• More information is available at jaredstorer.blogspot.com

View Larger Map

SEATAC – In another sign that the economy is tanking, American Airlines announced that it will lay off 22 workers at SeaTac Airport beginning Sept. 5th as part of a “nationwide staff reduction.” The announcement was made Tuesday in a warning notice filed with the state Employment Security Department. Nationwide, American plans to eliminate 6,500 employees, or about 8 percent of its work force.

Some employees may leave the company voluntarily with a severance package designed to bridge the gap between full-time employment and retirement, the company said.

American and most other major airlines plan to cut back flying beginning this fall to allow fuel-guzzling older aircraft to be grounded and to cull unprofitable flights from their schedules.

American hasn’t yet announced specific flight reductions at SeaTac, but it’s expected that the airline will consolidate some of the multiple flights it schedules between here and its hubs in Chicago and Dallas.

SOURCE:

• The News Tribune

Sometimes it’s fun to read the Craigslist “Missed Connections” and follow the fascinating storylines of all our rascally neighboring humanoids, and this last week was no exception.

We first found this ad on May 28th on seattle-tacoma craigslist > south king > missed connections:

How was your trip to Maui??? - w4m - 25 (SeaTac)

We met at at an airport parking place in Seatac on May 19th.

I was going to Disneyland and you were going to Maui.

You helped my daughter and I out with our luggage.

If you remember me, please let me know!

Then, a few days later, came this rather interesting rebuttal:

Hi,

You posted this for my husband.

His trip to Maui went fine, I was a day late due to a conference.

Why do you want to know how his trip went?

You must be the lady he mentioned when we were in Hilo.

He said you have a nice looking daughter and thought that you may have adopted her.

He said you stared at him plenty.

Mrs. Jake B.

SEATAC – A Pierce County boy who got in trouble last year when he stole a car, got caught, then snuck onto a flight from SeaTac to Phoenix to San Antonio is back in the news again after being arrested after trying to board another flight Tuesday.

The Transportation Security Administration claims that Semaj Booker was captured at a gate at SeaTac Airport after he failed to show a boarding pass.

Surveillance video shows Booker passed through the central checkpoint security area without any problems, but it’s still not clear how he managed to get through without a boarding pass. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it became a requirement to have a ticket when passing through security.

A TSA spokesperson says Booker was trying to board a Southwest Airlines flight, but it’s not immediately clear where he was trying to go or where in the airport he was finally caught.

The boy is back in his mother’s custody. A Tacoma Police spokesperson says his mother reported him missing at 3 a.m.

The TSA says it believes checks and balances are place to make the airport secure, but it will be reviewing security protocol.

In January 2007, then 9-year-old Semaj Booker got through airport security, boarded another Southwest Airlines flight by passing himself off as a 12-year-old whose mother was waiting for him in the boarding area. His information matched a paid ticketless reservation for the flight so agents gave him a boarding pass.

The boy’s mother said then he disliked the Lakewood neighborhood where the family lived and wanted to be with his grandfather in Dallas.

Before his odyssey last year, Booker was arrested after leading police on chase on Highway 512 at speeds up to 90 mph, finally ending in a crash. Once he was released back to his family, he ran away for his cross-country trip until his capture in Texas.

He was charged with car theft, attempting to elude a pursing police vehicle and driving without a license.

SOURCE:

• KING-TV