Exercise scenarios help build 'muscle memory' for responses

  • Published
  • By Will Huntington
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's final quarterly exercise in 2014, conducted Nov. 3-6, saw Airmen respond to a variety of smaller, and often localized, scenarios as many nits used the weeklong event to meet all of their annual exercise needs and requirements.

"Our units work diligently to make sure they are fully prepared for incidents that may occur," said Carmen Riches, chief, Wing Inspection and Base Exercises. "Using base exercises, we help our base personnel develop 'muscle memory' so they know exactly what to do."

Civil engineer exercise planners started the week with an active-shooter exercise. They used a gunfire sound-effects generator to alert occupants of a "shooter" in the building. Those same occupants were then evaluated on their responses of run, hide or, as a last resort, fight, as they had been trained to do in an active-shooter situation. Active-shooter exercises took place throughout the week in various buildings.

As the week progressed, different units took part in a variety of scenarios involving recalls, information assurance (in the form of a computer virus), injury responses, food and water protection, robbery, contamination exposure and decontamination, building evacuation and personnel accountability.

A deployment-operations exercise Nov. 6 had multiple Airmen being tested on their chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare knowledge and capability. Inspectors evaluated Airmen on their ability to properly utilize their chemical protective gear, such as gas masks and chemical warfare suits and perform tasks while wearing the gear. Bldg. 110's new classroom area was the scene of Airmen demonstrating activities such as how to get a good seal on a face mask, buddy care and drinking water while wearing the gas mask.

Once results of this exercise are gathered and assessed, the base planners will begin working on the next exercise, which is scheduled for February 2015.

"It's been a busy and effective exercise year, and we're ready to move into 2015," Riches said.