Emergency Exercises Thursday at Mason City Municipal Airport 

If you see smoke and emergency vehicles at the Mason City Municipal Airport Thursday (06.15), chances are it’s not a real plane crash.

The airport will hold a Full Scale Emergency Exercise Thursday afternoon between 2 and 4 pm, giving the airport, mutual aid partners and emergency responders opportunity to train for a real aircraft emergency in a safe and controlled environment. The live exercise will be conducted in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements.

Officials say during the exercise, the public may see smoke and emergency vehicles operating at the airport. Participating agencies include Mason City Police and Fire Departments, Clear Lake Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Cerro Gordo

County CERT Team, and MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center.

The Mason City Municipal Airport is required by the FAA to maintain an Airport Emergency Plan, including an Airport Fire Department. Federal law also requires the plan be tested with a mock full-scale aircraft emergency every thirty-six consecutive calendar months.