Emergency Readiness at the Scale of the World’s Busiest Airport
Coordinating an emergency response is difficult within a single organization. At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, readiness depends on coordinating organizations responsible for aviation, public safety, health care, transportation and critical infrastructure.
Every three years, the airport puts that network – and its emergency plans – to the test through Big Bird, a full-scale aircraft accident exercise involving more than 150 volunteer victims.
At PowerUp 2026, Leola “Lola” Chaney, assistant director of emergency management at Hartsfield-Jackson, will take attendees behind the scenes of this massive undertaking and share lessons utilities can apply to their own emergency programs.
Preparing for a Mass-Casualty Event
Big Bird simulates an aircraft accident on the airfield. Conducted at the airport’s live-fire training center, the exercise brings together airport personnel, airlines, contractors, mutual-aid fire departments, hospitals, law enforcement agencies and federal partners.
Planning takes approximately two and a half years. Participants must define responsibilities, coordinate resources and create a realistic scenario while accounting for the operational demands of the world’s busiest airport.
The exercise is required under federal regulations, but its value extends beyond compliance. Each cycle provides an opportunity to test plans, identify coordination gaps and determine whether participants can perform their assigned roles under pressure. After-action reports and improvement plans then turn those findings into concrete changes.
Building Continuity Across the Airport
Chaney will also discuss Hartsfield-Jackson’s work to strengthen business continuity across its 17 business units.
Creating continuity plans for an organization of that size requires leaders to identify critical functions and dependencies, establish common expectations and determine how the airport will continue operating when personnel, facilities, technology or outside services are disrupted. The airport is now exercising its expanded continuity program, giving Chaney timely lessons about moving from written plans to enterprise-wide readiness.
Lessons for Utilities
Airports and electric utilities face different operational challenges, but many of their emergency management needs are similar. Both depend on networks of internal departments, contractors, government agencies, first responders and other outside partners. Both must make consequential decisions with incomplete information while maintaining essential services under rapidly changing conditions.
Chaney’s session will examine large-scale exercise planning, multiagency coordination, business continuity, communication, evaluation and continuous improvement. For utilities, it offers a valuable perspective from another high-stakes operating environment where preparedness and coordination are tested at an extraordinary scale.
PowerUp 2026 will take place Sept. 22-24 in Atlanta. Join Chaney for a rare look inside emergency preparedness at Hartsfield-Jackson – and practical lessons for strengthening readiness across the utility enterprise.
