Texas Border Business
McAllen International Airport (MFE) and the City of McAllen completed its triennial full-scale emergency exercise on Friday, November 21, 2025. MFE became the first airport in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) to partner with Trauma Regional Advisory Council-V and deploy the latest Pulsara technology during a full-scale mass-casualty exercise, marking the region’s first disaster drill of this magnitude to utilize the platform in an emergency scenario.
“McAllen is committed to safety and to the strong regional partnerships that strengthen our emergency preparedness. Ensuring that our visitors have confidence when traveling through our city and region is a vital part of the essential services we provide,” said Mayor Javier Villalobos.
The drill tested MFE’s emergency readiness and demonstrated how the airport coordinates with emergency response systems and its 27 partner agencies within the RGV, including the fulfillment of 18 of these agencies meeting crucial training requirements.
Partner agencies supporting the full-scale emergency exercise included the City of McAllen’s Department of Aviation, McAllen Fire Department’s Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting units, McAllen Police Department, and the Emergency Management Office. Federal participation was led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), along with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection – including the Office of Field Operations and RGV Sector Border Patrol, the National Weather Service (NWS), and the Civil Air Patrol. Airline partners included American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Allegiant Air. Healthcare, EMS, and medical support were provided by Lone Star Ambulance, Trauma Regional Advisory Council V (TRAC-V), Med-Care EMS, City of Pharr EMS, Doctor’s Hospital at Renaissance, South Texas Health System’s McAllen, Edinburg, and Heart Hospital campuses, and Rio Grande Regional Hospital. Public health and community support came from Hidalgo County Health & Human Services and the American Red Cross. Additional state and education partners included the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and South Texas College.
“We are thankful to our regional, state, federal, and private-sector partners for joining McAllen’s amazing first responders at today’s exercise, it’s these partnerships that help take our overall preparedness to the next level,” added Jeff Johnston, Assistant City Manager and Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of McAllen.
“An emergency drill of this magnitude has many moving parts,” said Jeremy Santoscoy, P.E., Director of Aviation at McAllen International Airport. “Successfully completing this full-scale exercise is an important benchmark in our safety preparedness, and we are proud to have reached it through the dedicated cooperation of our partners at the local, state, and federal levels. It reinforces that safety remains our highest priority at MFE.”
