Agencies coordinate for quick response during base exercise

  • Published
  • By Lea Johnson
  • 21st Space Wing Public Affairs staff writer
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  Knights from the 21st Space Wing kept busy Aug. 26-30 during the most recent Condor Crest emergency response exercise.

Bill Edwards, 21st SW Exercise Evaluation Team chief, said one of the biggest complaints he hears about exercises is not playing them to the end so all agencies can practice their role.

To help correct the problem, Edwards said, the EET planned fewer scenarios for this exercise but carried them out to the very end, as would be done if the situation was real world.

Base agencies participated in two main events during the last exercise for fiscal year 2012. During the Aug. 28 exercise, an active shooter in Building 2 left two dead and four injured. On Aug. 29 a lightning strike scenario on the softball field injured 20 Airmen.

The EET worked to coordinate with outside agencies, including American Medical Response and Flight for Life, to practice how they would coordinate with the wing during a real emergency.

Members of the 21st Medical Group were vital to the success of this exercise. According to Col. Michael Burke, 21st MDG commander, the 21st MDG has 15 Disaster Teams who regularly train for various contingencies. The Field Response Team and Clinic Team are prepared to administer direct patient care during an emergency situation.

The five-member FRT swiftly responded to both scenarios and quickly partnered with Emergency Medical Technicians from the fire department, AMR, and later Flight for Life.

During the lightning strike scenario, Burke said, it was promptly established that more medical responders were needed on the scene, and so the Clinic Team dispatched additional physicians, medical technicians, and administrative technicians to the scene.

"The EET did a superb in planning this scenario to include partnering with Flight for Life and AMR," Burke said.

He added that in the 20 years he has been in the Air Force, he has never seen a partnership to exercise with the local community like the one 21st SW EET members coordinated.

In addition to the two scenarios that coordinated with local agencies, the FRT also responded to a fire scenario at the Aerospace Physiology Unit. The chamber was pressurized to 25,000 feet above sea level when the incident occurred and seven students and one instructor had to be treated for smoke inhalation, burns, and potential physiological effects from quickly depressurizing the chamber back to sea level.

"I am extremely proud of our medics for their professionalism, versatility and expert response to the scenarios we challenged them with," Burke said. "They clearly showed, together with the fire department and security forces squadron, this installation is ready to respond to and manage medical contingencies."

Condor Crest exercises also help ensure the 21st SW is able to complete its mission of professionally operating, supporting and protecting its personnel and resources during actual incidents.
incidents.

 

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