Travis, Solano County team up in local exercise

by Senior Airman Madelyn Brown
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

12/6/2013 - TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Travis and Solano County emergency response agencies collaborated in an active-shooter exercise Nov. 14, in which an individual opened fire during a parent's night at the Sierra Vista Elementary School in Vacaville, Calif. The shooter also detonated a device and left a suspicious substance in the school.

The incident resulted in approximately 59 victims, including two mannequins from David Grant USAF Medical Center that were bleeding and missing limbs. Overall 19 community and military response agencies participated in the county-wide exercise, said Don Ryan, Solano County Sherriff's Office emergency services manager.

"The best thing is watching Travis responders integrate so well with our community partners," said John Speakman, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron fire chief.

Immediately after the shooting, the Vacaville Police Department arrived on-scene to clear the building and neutralize the shooter. Next, Fire and Medical Departments arrived to evacuate the 59 victims, some requiring to be carried out due to injury.

No single response agency in this county is able to handle a large scale emergency incident, Speakman said. It takes the efforts of Travis responders as well as the county partners and many base support agencies to handle a large event, with good teamwork being a key ingredient to success.

The victims, donned with specific injuries and dripping in moulage, were instructed to behave as a real-world victim with their specific injury. The medical agencies assessed the injuries and determined priority, on-scene treatment and transportation to which medical facility in the county.

Many of the victims were played by middle and high school aged youth; 35 the volunteers came from the Civil Air Patrol detachment on Travis.

"The test of the pediatric emergency capabilities would have been difficult without the Civil Air Patrol cadets from Travis and Sacramento," Ryan said.

Staff Sgt. Nicholas Smith, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, played a victim suffering from a gunshot wound through the thigh. He was deemed one of the victims in critical condition by a Suisun City firefighter. From there, he was transported from the school to Kaiser Permanente in Vacaville, Calif., via an ambulance and emergency medical responder from Benicia, Calif.

"The exercise was so in depth and elaborate," Smith said. "They really went all out to make it as realistic as possible."

No measure was too far for the organizers of the drill to take in order to make the incident authentic. When the training causes the responders adrenaline to spike, they learn to perform in that state during a real-world incident.

"The responders want to ensure they are on top of their game so they can respond in the most effective manner and for the greatest good," Speakman said. "The moulage on the live volunteer victims made them look like they had actually survived an event such as the exercise scenario.

The final responders to the exercise, the hazardous material team, combined Travis firefighters and the Vacaville police department entered the building after the evacuation of all victims. They analyzed the suspicious substance, extricated it from the school, and rendered the situation safe.

"Collaboration is essential since Travis is part of our community with shared risks and a mutual desire to keep Solano County safe and ready to respond to any incident," Ryan said.

School officials recognized, in recent years, school shootings have become more prevalent, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

"It's good that we're having these discussions on how to be truly prepared for the worst incidents," said Ken Jacopetti, Vacaville superintendent of schools. "That is of the utmost importance."