OWENSBORO, Ky. — Sirens echoed across the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport Tuesday as first responders tackled a simulated explosion during a fueling operation, part of a full-scale emergency exercise designed to prepare the community for a mass casualty event.

The triennial drill was sponsored by the airport and Daviess County Emergency Management to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements for airports with commercial traffic. About 40 volunteers, including 28 acting as victims with injuries from minor cuts to severe burns, brought realism to the scenario.

Sheriff Brad Youngman said the exercise ensures readiness for worst-case scenarios, referencing the 2006 Lexington plane crash that remains a sobering reminder for Kentucky’s emergency officials.

“You know, it se

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