Coast Guard’s emergency drill will simulate plane crash in Lake Michigan

MANISTEE, MI – An emergency drill designed to simulate a downed aircraft in Lake Michigan is being planned for this week near Manistee, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

This mass rescue exercise is planned for Wednesday, June 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to USCG Air Station Traverse City personnel.

“The exercise will simulate a downed aircraft incident near Manistee Blacker Airport and will involve multiple local and federal agencies,” the military said. “The exercise aims to enhance interagency coordination and test the effectiveness of local response capabilities in a mass casualty scenario.”

The emergency drill is being done to test the communication between all the responding agencies. Response time and the level of coordination will be assessed.

In addition to the Coast Guard, other participating agencies will include the Manistee County Emergency Management, the county sheriff’s office, the city police, the county’s central dispatch and the Michigan DNR.

“Training exercises like this are critical to ensuring our readiness and ability to respond effectively to real-world emergencies,” said Lt. Theodore Keenan, a standardization officer at Air Station Traverse City. “By working closely with our local partners, we can strengthen our partnerships, improve our collective response capabilities and enhance the safety of the maritime community.”

The public is being asked to avoid this area during the emergency exercise on Wednesday so the first responders can do their jobs.