First Responders at JFK Airport Unqualified to Handle Emergencies

Concern Spreads to Other Airports

A federal agency found scores of first responders at John F. Kennedy Airport serving New York City were not qualified to handle emergencies. Federal Aviation Administration investigators found the overwhelming majority of the nearly 200 police officers at JFK either lacked the proper certification to respond to such emergencies or had seen their certifications expire, sources said.

The FAA revelation forced the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to pull the unqualified officers and force the certified personnel to work overtime to cover the gaps, sources said. They said similar issues were found at LaGuardia and Newark International Airport, but they were not as severe as the ones found at JFK. The problem at JFK was discovered around April, when the FAA conducted an annual review to determine if the airport had enough properly trained officers to handle any emergency.

A spokesman for the FAA said it is currently reviewing a discrepancy in training records for aircraft rescue and firefighting training at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

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