By Sgt. Estevan Hidalgo, U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys Public Affairs
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Emergency responders from U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys trained for a simulated aircraft incident during a pre-accident drill at Desiderio Army Airfield, March 11, 2026.
The scenario centered on a UH-60 Black Hawk emergency landing with Soldiers portraying injured personnel inside the aircraft. After the initial radio call, fire, medical, and emergency response teams raced to the airfield to secure the area, assess hazards, and begin casualty response procedures.
Because the event was part of a planned training event, responding vehicles operated with emergency lights but without sirens.
“Exercises like this are critical,” said Larry Maxey, airfield safety officer at Desiderio Army Airfield. “They allow multiple agencies, both from Camp Humphreys and local emergency services to train together under realistic conditions.”
Planners employed a smoke machine under the aircraft and assigned each Soldier a specific injury to simulate in order to make the scenario more realistic.
As responders arrived, three role players remained inside the helicopter and acted out their conditions while firefighters and medical teams positioned equipment and prepared to enter the scene.
Mannequins functioned as four additional role players outside the aircraft, simulating other life-threatening injuries.
Firefighters established a water line as part of the aircraft hazard response, while personnel also used a drone to identify risks around the landing site.
At the same time, responders organized a triage area nearby to receive and treat casualties once they were safely removed from the aircraft.
“Readiness at Desiderio Army Airfield is the backbone of our mission. As a primary hub, we cannot afford delays during an emergency,” said Vince Kannair, airfield operations chief at Desiderio Army Airfield. “This training is essential because it moves us from theory to practice, ensuring our responders have the muscle memory to act instinctively when a real-world aircraft incident occurs.”
Once evaluators confirmed that the fire response portion had been completed to standard, emergency personnel shifted their focus to patient extraction. Responders assessed each mock casualty, determined the nature of the injuries, and chose the safest method for removing Soldiers from the airfield.
Some role players were able to exit with minimal assistance, while others portrayed more serious trauma, including fractures and internal injuries.
Medical personnel from Camp Humphreys' Brian D. Allgood Hospital transported injured personnel to the hospital and those with more serious conditions were medevac-ed to a Korean hospital in Cheonan.
Although planning for the event took place over several weeks, the full drill was completed in less than a few hours.
The training event demonstrated participants' increased readiness, ability to coordinate across departments, and quick adaptation to dynamic conditions. Airfield safety personnel will continue developing future scenarios designed to strengthen emergency response coordination and readiness at Camp Humphreys.
“Training at this high level ensures the installation remains reliable, providing the security and continuity needed to support the entire Korean theater,” Kannair said. “No single entity can manage an airfield incident alone. Realistic training allows us to bridge the gap between airfield ops, fire and emergency services, and garrison PAO before a crisis occurs, ensuring seamless communication when seconds count."