Emergency response tested during base-wide exercise

  • Published
  • By Will Huntington
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Wright-Patterson Air Force Base personnel tested their emergency response procedures last week during 2016's second quarterly base-wide exercise.

While the week's activities appeared to most to start slowly, in reality Monday's exercise elements were confined to individual units meeting annual requirements for exercising personnel recall, automated external defibrillator, or AED, usage, as well as bomb threat and active shooter response.

Tuesday's events, however, brought a large-scale response to Wright-Patt's area B as a simulated hazardous material, or HAZMAT, event played itself out. Security Forces members fanned out to contain the scene and prevent passersby from entering the area. Base firefighters employed decontamination procedures on a simulated patient in preparation for medical treatment.

Although Wednesday included more AED response activities, the main focus of the day was a continuity of operations, or COOP, event. As often happens during real-world and exercise events, units across the installation were directed to stand up their group and unit control centers. Among many other responsibilities, GCCs and UCCs are the unit's focal point for personnel accountability and disseminating event-specific information to unit members during a crisis.

Wednesday's GCC and UCC activation had the added wrinkle of performing the tasking at each unit's alternate location. For many organizations, alternate locations included sites on a far removed part of the installation.

Since the ability to use their primary control center locations can be adversely impacted by the variables which can and do exist in a real-world event, having units go to their alternate locations helps validate unit response plans and identify any shortfalls which may exist. Through the lessons learned following a COOP exercise, those plans can then be amended, as needed, to ensure a more viable and effective response.

Exercise skies "darkened" Thursday morning as a simulated weather event began with inclement weather watches giving way to a tornado warning. Wright-Patt personnel sought shelter from the faux storm and Wing Inspection Team members, on scene for all exercise events, evaluated the effectiveness of unit sheltering plans as well as individual responses. In events such as this one, a sense of urgency helps demonstrate commitment to following these plans.

Things quickly shifted into high gear for emergency personnel as they responded to a tornado strike site on base not far from the main Shoppette in area A.

More than a score of volunteers, many in life-like moulage make up to simulate injuries, awaited responders as they lay strewn across a field to present the scene of chaos and carnage which might be seen following a tornado. Tornado "victims" were triaged and prepared for transport to medical facilities for treatment.

Nearby a document safe, used to secure classified information, was discovered in the storm debris. Personnel were evaluated by WIT members on how they responded to an unusual protected information spillage such as this.

On Friday the tornado event concluded after a search and recovery team combed the area to locate and mark simulated human remains, and also photographically document them before coordinating their removal.

The next base-wide exercise is scheduled for the week of Aug. 1.