Peterson, city respond to drill at airport Published July 5, 2007 By Corey Dahl 21st Space Wing Public Affairs PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- Base fire and rescue crews rushed to the Colorado Springs Airport June 27 responding to a violent airplane crash. When they got to the scene, first responders were confronted with more than 60 victims - car and airplane passengers with severed limbs, gushing head wounds and internal bleeding. Some of them were already dead. As the responders strapped on HAZMAT gear and called for assistance, several victims started screaming. One woman had a nervous breakdown. And then a man with a piece of airplane in his leg jumped up and headed for a nearby Port-A-Potty. Unreal? That's because the whole thing was fake. The airport, working with Peterson, the Colorado Springs fire and police departments and several other first responders, staged the mass casualty event in order to practice for real-life emergencies that could occur in the future. More than 60 volunteer victims - many of them from Peterson - dressed up in tattered clothes, sprayed themselves with fake blood and even "impaled" themselves with plastic objects. Roughly 30 responders than did their best to triage the victims and get the wounded the services they needed. "We try to simulate, as realistically as possible, a real-life emergency here," said John McGinley, assistant director of operations and maintenance at the airport. "We're testing our plans, our training, so we can identify any weaknesses and fix them." As the airport's primary first responder, Peterson plays a big role in those plans, Mr. McGinley said. Peterson's lease agreement with the city allows the Colorado Springs Airport to use the base's fire and rescue squads - services the airport would otherwise have to provide for itself. "The FAA requires us to have certain equipment on site and guaranteed response times," Mr. McGinley said. "Peterson has always done an exceptional job in meeting and exceeding our requirements. We really couldn't do this without them." Working with the airport is also beneficial for Peterson, especially when the pair gets together for exercises, said Cindy Litteral, the base's deputy fire chief. The simulated emergencies help the base's crews prepare for real-life events and also teach them the best ways to coordinate with the city's other first responders. "Any type of exercise like this is a win-win," she said. "There's always going to be wrinkles you find, and this helps us figure out how to iron them out." Comment on this story.