Mutual Aid in Action: Regional Agencies Train Together in Salina
First responders and emergency response agencies from the Salina area, along with 10 Emergency Management Directors from across the region, came together at Salina Regional Airport on Tuesday, September 15, for a full-scale disaster exercise.
David Sorel, Director of Operations with the Salina Airport Authority, told Ask A Kansan that the airport is required to conduct a full-scale exercise periodically as part of its FAA Part 139 certification. Planning for Tuesday’s exercise has been underway for approximately a year.
Tuesday’s scenario involved multiple agencies and was designed to simulate a drone flying over the airport and being ingested into a plane’s engine, causing the aircraft to crash. The airport tower was alerted to a potential suspect west of the field who had been flying the drone, and the Salina Police Department responded to arrest the suspect. The tower dispatched the airport’s own fire department while also contacting the Salina dispatch center to request mutual aid from the Salina Fire Department and EMS.
The University of Missouri also participated in the exercise, bringing its training fuselage, which allows fire departments to train on an actual burning aircraft. As the airport’s emergency response crews arrived on scene, their truck knocked down the initial flames. Salina Fire then responded with several units, pulling hand lines, fighting additional flare-ups and making entry into the aircraft. Several dummies were placed inside to simulate victims who needed to be recovered and transferred to EMS.
After the live-fire portion of the exercise was completed, it was time to focus on the second portion of the training. A group of volunteers had been preparing for their roles by applying fake wounds, blood, and makeup. A second aircraft was used, with volunteers staged inside and around it. Each volunteer was assigned an injury and a role to act out.
Some had minor injuries but were instructed to appear disoriented and cry out for help. Others had life-threatening injuries, while some were instructed to become increasingly agitated, requiring police intervention.
Salina Fire and EMS responded to the scene and began triaging the victims. It was quickly determined that department resources were stretched thin, requiring additional EMS personnel to be paged out.
The exercise also extended off-site to Salina Regional Health Center. EMS transported critical victims by ambulance, while agencies such as the Salvation Army helped transport non-life-threatening victims in vans.
After the exercise was complete, everyone returned to the airport and shared a meal. The Emergency Management Directors from across the region, who had served as observers throughout the exercise, gathered to share their observations and the knowledge they had gained from the day. While the exercise was designed to test the airport’s emergency response capabilities, it also highlighted the importance of mutual aid between agencies. A large-scale incident can quickly stretch the resources of a single department, making coordination and communication between fire, EMS, law enforcement, emergency management and other community partners critical. By bringing agencies from across the region together for the exercise, responders were able to practice working alongside one another before a real emergency requires them to do so. Photos and article by Tanner Colvin Click to enlarge
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