Hundreds of volunteers will take part in a mock emergency exercise at Reagan National Airport on Saturday, part of an effort to test the region’s response to an airplane crash.  Commercial airplane crashes in the U.S. are rare, but the Federal Aviation Administration requires U.S. airports to hold emergency drills every three years to ensure officials are prepared should they be forced to deal with an emergency.  [Fake eyeballs and burns at DCA emergency drill]  On Saturday, from 9 a.m. until about noon, emergency personnel will respond to mock crash on a runway at National. The exercise is not expected to interfere with airport operations, but officials caution that folks in and around the airport — especially in Arlington and Alexandria near U.S. Route 1, George Washington Memorial Parkway, I-395 and along the Potomac River — may see emergency vehicles, smoke and fire. Among the participants in the day’s drill will be more than 100 volunteers who agreed to be made up to simulate injuries that might be sustained in a crash.  In past years, we’ve watched as first responders dealt with evacuating and transporting “patients” from the airport runway to the hospital. We’ve also spent time with the airport’s care team — a group of volunteers from among those who work at the airport who are tasked with taking care of the loved ones of victims.  Here’s a video of the 2013 exercise held at National:  Lori Aratani writes about how people live, work and play in the D.C. region for The Post’s Transportation and Development team.
The drill is a test of the airport's ability to handle a major incident such as an airplane crash or a fire on the runway.