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    Cherry Point, local response teams first on scene during training exercise

    Cherry Point, local response teams first on scene during training exercise

    Photo By Brian Adam Jones | Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point crash fire rescue Marines fight a contained...... read more read more

    MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, UNITED STATES

    04.24.2012

    Story by Lance Cpl. Andrea Cleopatra Dickerson 

    II Marine Expeditionary Force   

    CHERRY POINT, N.C. - More than seven military and civilian organizations joined forces at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point as emergency operations personnel orchestrated a mass casualty exercise on the MCAS Cherry Point flightline April 24, in preparation for the MCAS Cherry Point Air Show scheduled May 4-6.

    “The exercise will help the installation be more prepared to protect spectators and active duty service members working at the air show in the event an accident occurs,” said Rick Scott, the lead exercise planner.

    At the beginning of the exercise, more than 20 Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Marines, two fire trucks and a water tanker fought a controlled aircraft fire. In the event a fire happens during the air show, ARFF will be the first responders.

    Emergency medical personnel from Havelock and Cherry Point responded to cries for help, treating approximately 31 casualties with simulated injuries ranging from sprained ankles to life-threatening lacerations.

    While on the scene, emergency response teams responded to different scenarios to make sure they effectively triaged, treated and transported patients to various predetermined medical treatment facilities throughout the area.

    “We timed the emergency response teams to see how long it took them to respond because we want to ensure they minimize the time it takes to treat victims,” said Maj. Adam L. Bush, the station mission assurance director.

    “It is important to be prepared. Anything could happen,” said Bush.
    Emergency response personnel manned an active mobile command post and emergency operations center on the flightline to direct and assist military and civilian emergency response teams with patient transport, tracking and accountability, and communications.
    The air station is expecting more than 150,000 spectators at the air show. Because the turnout is expected to be so large, other outside organizations such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the North Carolina State Medical Assistance Team have been brought in to provide assistance.

    Headquarters Marine Corps contracted a third party exercise planning team from the Camber Corporation to observe and grade the air station’s plans, policies and procedures emergency response teams would use during the air show. The planning team confidentially scripted the scenario to ensure response teams would not know what to expect and supervised overall operations on the flightline during the exercise.

    The results of the training exercise will be used as an air show planning tool not only for the upcoming air show, but for future air shows as well, said Scott.

    “The biggest learning point we took away from the exercise was the importance of communications in the command operations center,” said Bush.

    It is important that personnel in the crisis center receive and relay information quickly so response teams can do their jobs and ensure proper crowd control, Bush explained.

    “We want to keep ourselves in a position where we can stay calm, cool and collected,” he said.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.24.2012
    Date Posted: 05.03.2012 14:23
    Story ID: 87812
    Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US

    Web Views: 174
    Downloads: 1

    PUBLIC DOMAIN