Photo By Brian Barbour | Camp Navajo Firefighters Tyler Carson (left) and Capt. Christian Davis carry Arizona...... read more read more
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BELLEMONT, Ariz. - Smoke rose from an open field of dry grass where Soldiers laid bloodied, burned and scattered, moaning in pain as first responders arrived at the site of a crashed Black Hawk helicopter.
Firefighters arrived, assessed the scene and moved into action working to rescue the surviving Arizona Army National Guard Soldiers.
The exercise, which simulated a crashed Arizona Guard Black Hawk helicopter resulting in mass causalities and a wildfire, involved participants from Coconino County Response Team, AZARNG 198th Regional Support Group, Camp Navajo Fire Department, Bellemont Fire Department, Guardian Ambulance and Air and the Forestry Service.
This helicopter crash was an emergency response exercise hosted by the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council who partnered with the AZARNG for the training April 22, at Camp Navajo.
The exercise was designed to increase the readiness and interoperability of local emergency responders and National Guard personnel throughout Coconino County.
“We operate on a philosophy in Northern Arizona that no single agency out here possess the resources to respond to a large incident on their own,” said Robert Rowley, emergency manager with Coconino County, Arizona Emergency Management.
Firefighters from Camp Navajo Fire Department hosed down the simulated helicopter wreckage and moved the injured Soldiers to a casualty collection point as medical transport vehicles traveled to the site.
Guardsmen setup a tactical operations center, or TOC, in the 1404th Transportation Company’s armory on Camp Navajo where Soldiers worked on laptops and communicated via radios in front of a large projection screen.
Detailed coordination is required for personnel, facilities and supplies during a large-scale, multi-agency event or exercise such as the one held on Camp Navajo.
The exercise scenario planned for the 198th to drill on Camp Navajo during the crash and called into action because of their proximity to the incident, said Master Sgt. James Borchardt, who served as non-commissioned officer in charge of personnel for the exercise.
Borchardt said the 198th Soldiers gained valuable experience and learned from the scenario, which had large amounts of information come in rapidly.
One of the 198th’s tasks was to create an area for the emergency personnel responding to stage prior to heading to crash site.
“We organized the front end, so there wasn’t chaos going to the chaos,” Borchardt said.
Along with organizing staging areas, the 198th also assisted with installation and site access, said Maj. Chad Abts, support operations officer for the 198th RSG.
More than 200 participants including 41 Guardsmen participated in the exercise at Camp Navajo.
“It’s been a great opportunity to actually get out, and work with civil authorities and enhance our relationships with them,” Abts said.
Guardsmen with simulated injuries, made more realistic with latex props and fake blood, were treated on site before paramedics and EMTs loaded the Soldiers into ambulances for transport to a medical facility.
The exercise proved that the National Guard is a valuable resource in the event of an emergency that can be tasked with a mission and complete it, Abts said.
Rowely said he thinks the role of the National Guard as a player in emergency response is probably something that is going to occur more often.
“As a result let’s not be strangers, this is what this type of exercise is for,” Rowely said. “To make sure we aren’t exchanging those business cards on our first big incident.”
| Date Taken: | 04.22.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2016 11:48 |
| Story ID: | 196640 |
| Location: | BELLEMONT, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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