WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will conduct a major emergency-management exercise May 5-6.
Planners said the drill is scheduled to simulate an aircraft mishap with “mass casualties.” Upon notification, first responders will immediately head to the exercise location.
“We conduct emergency-management exercises throughout the year to test our first responders such as security forces, firefighters and medical, so the base is prepared for a real-world mishap,” said John Rehak, 88th Air Base Wing exercise and inspection program manager.
During the exercise, the 88 ABW inspection team will evaluate participant response throughout the base. Planners said personnel in the exercise should perform tasks as realistically as possible, given available resources and each organization’s specific responsibilities.
“It’s important for everyone to participate in base exercises because an incident could happen at any time,” Rehak added. “Exercises make us better prepared and lessons learned can potentially save lives.”
Since this is an exercise and training event, individuals on and around the base should not call 911, officials said.
Other potential exercise impacts include:
- Emergency-response vehicles moving around the base.
- Temporary blockage of some roadways.
- Gate traffic backups.
- Use of telephone and electronic-notification methods.
- Alert sirens.