CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Emergency responders, Department of the Army Civilians, and military personnel took part in a joint exercise of an aviation incident at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
The strength of our Army is our unity and shared purpose.
The exercise, conducted by the depot, simulated emergency landing requiring immediate rescue efforts for the downed air crew. The full-scale response aimed to verify that first responders and airfield operations staff understand their emergency procedures under CCAD’s aviation pre-accident plan.
Although CCAD is a tenant unit at NAS Corpus Christi, the Navy oversees airfield emergency and rescue operations. During the exercise, teams practiced victim extraction, patient triage, joint agency communications, National Incident Management Systems duties, and hazard containment near fuel systems and rotor blades.
“This event is epic,” Chief Safety Officer Brian Smith said. “We have Navy support from the Fire Emergency Response group, Air Traffic Control, Tower Operations, Medical Response, and the Naval Flight Medicine group.”
NASCC Fire Chief Jeff Hawkins said, “Fire and Emergency Services provides structural firefighting, rescue, and aircraft rescue and firefighting support to the Navy and tenant units on the installation.” He continued, “To ensure an effective response during an actual emergency, responders must routinely practice rescue, firefighting, and joint emergency operations across organizations.”
Once first responders clear the mishap site, Smith assumes the role of officer in charge until investigators from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center arrive. His duties include securing all relevant documents associated with the incident, recording the incident, securing and controlling access to the incident, identifying potential biohazards and hazards from advanced composite materials.
The depot is responsible for activating both primary and secondary crash alarm systems during an aircraft mishap that involves personnel injuries, equipment destruction, or a precautionary or emergency landing that affects airfield operations.
While depot sentiment often leans toward "Go Army, Beat Navy”, especially during football season personnel emphasized that interservice collaboration is vital during emergencies.
“This was very interesting to observe,” said material expediter Christopher Jackson while watching the event unfold.
Participating departments include CCAD Safety, CCAD Security, the base air traffic control tower, NAS Corpus Christi Fire and Emergency Services, and Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi.
“Opportunities to train together in a controlled environment can be limited and often overlooked; therefore, participating organizations should capitalize on them whenever they arise,” NASCC Fire Chief Jeff Hawkins said.
“Training as an integrated team reduces confusion, strengthens coordination, and increases the likelihood of a safe and successful outcome during an actual incident.”
The Army provides practical, hands-on training and support that cultivate skills and interests, and sets Soldiers and Army civilians on a path for long-term success.