Shortly after 10 a.m. Sept. 25, an alert came across the radio in a Great Falls International Airport law enforcement truck and over the loudspeaker in the Montana Air National Guard Fire Department. The alert, which was to kickoff an exercise, was that the pilot of an incoming Boeing 737 was in medical distress. In a real world crash incident, Brian Cowles, deputy director for airport operations, said they’d close the airport so that emergency responders wouldn’t have to worry about traveling on an active airfield and cut those delays. Great Falls airport privatizing security screening [2022]In the exercise scenario, the crashed plane had 142 passengers, three flight attendants, pilot and copilot. Airshow provided training opportunity for emergency planners [2017]If Benefis was overwhelmed with critical patients, Cowles said Great Falls Hospital could also take red patients.