CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On a corner of the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, 25 agencies and more than 100 volunteers gathered to participate in the Triennial National Disaster Medical Systems Exercise to fulfill a Federal Aviation Administration requirement.
The exercise goal is to demonstrate the ability to alert, notify and respond to an aircraft accident communicating between organizations to ultimately recover and render medical aid to victims. A C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 145th Airlift Wing was used in the scenario to add realism, and firefighters from the 145th Civil Engineer Squadron participated as part of interagency agreements.
"As we entered the area we had to first suppress the fire on the aircraft. Once we took care of that situation we could locate our victims, look at the status of our victims and give medical aid to the ones who needed it," said Staff Sgt. Jeret Kinnaird, 145th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter.
The exercise tests the airport's emergency plans and effectively establishes the Airport Incident Command Center which directs all agencies' support to the recovery efforts.
"The ultimate goal is to learn what to do and what not to do in an incident of this type and be prepared for a real event. We work in crime scenes all the time, but being in this type of incident with this many victims and other partner agencies is different," said Derek Waller, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Aircraft accidents are rare, but preparedness for such incidents is crucial to ensure that each agency involved can fulfill their role. Planning for the exercise started in March of 2017, and four hours were dedicated to execute this event.
"A live full-scale exercise like this really tests our standard operating procedures to find out how we're doing, find out weak points, and improve. We shut the runway down for safety, and it's important to practice this here because that's where it's going to happen. This is the best place to do this exercise," said Brian Zoeckler, Charlotte-Douglas International Airport exercise incident commander.
One of the Triennial National Disaster Medical Systems Exercise planners, Master Sgt. Rebecca Tongen, 145th Civil Engineer Squadron, said, "With our firefighters being a response capability with the Charlotte Fire Department, it allows personnel to know that if something were to happen to an aircraft or something on the airfield that the military can respond and do what we can to support the public."
Over 100 volunteers were made up with moulage to simulate the aircraft accident victims, and their injuries ranged from minor cuts to deceased victims. The variation in injuries tests the responder's ability to triage and prioritize medical aid.
Elizabeth Riddell, Federal Bureau of Investigation intern who volunteered to be a mock aircraft accident victim, said, "Everyone wants to know that when a worst-case scenario happens, that someone will be there to rescue them. That the firemen will be there, that the policemen will be there. When you see this exercise happening, you get a feeling for how good they are at their jobs. I feel very comfortable that in a real situation I'd trust them to come find me."
When the exercise came to a close and the participants had a chance to breathe, a break-down of the high and low points was assessed for future improvements to the standard operating procedures.
"The motto that I stand by is train as you fight. The only thing this exercise can do is better us as firefighters, better us as individuals, and better us as a team with Charlotte firefighters. This is to find out our strengths and weaknesses and talk about what we can do to be better," said Kinnaird, one of the firefighters.