SLO Airport holds full-scale emergency response drill and last updated 2021-05-19 22:13:33-04 If you saw emergency response vehicles, smoke, or other unusual activity at the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport on Wednesday, it was just a drill. The airport held a full-scale emergency response exercise that simulated the conditions airport and emergency personnel could encounter during a disaster. The purpose of the exercise was to test and evaluate the preparedness and capabilities of the airport and local response agencies. "We're a commercial air service airport and we have to exercise all those emergency response capabilities every third year to meet that certification," explained Craig Piper, San Luis Obispo County Department of Airports Deputy Director.