News & Events

A mock disaster drill was conducted on Wednesday Sept. 14, 2016 at the West Rim of the Grand Canyon. The drill, hosted by Grand Canyon West and the Hualapai Tribe, simulated a tour helicopter failing to gain altitude and hitting a bus filled with visitors. The accident resulted in numerous injuries, fatalities and a massive debris field. Multiple emergency preparedness agencies from the State of Arizona, the federal government and tribal and municipal first responders participated in the drill, along with private sector vendors (see complete list below).

The overarching exercise objective was to test the nationwide public safety broadband network and the applications which could run across it in response to the incident. The mock drill was conducted because there is concern, especially among many Tribal nations, that some rural areas may not be receiving adequate coverage from FirstNet. The exercise proceeded as scheduled and was executed successfully. Participants were fully debriefed afterward on their experience with the technology. A great deal of valuable feedback was received and is in the process of being compiled into an after action report.