NAS Lemoore Hones Emergency Response Skills with Local Counterparts During Aircraft Mishap Exercise

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st (SCW) Class Carmichael Yepez, Naval Air Station Lemoore Public Affairs

May 16, 2010 - ARMONA, Calif. (NNS) -- Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore's Training and Emergency Management offices tested their emergency response capabilities during Operation Parkview Incident 2010 in the small community of Armona, Calif., May 10-14.

The exercise, which simulated a military aircraft mishap, involved more than 15 civilian agencies and eight military commands assigned to NAS Lemoore in one of the largest installation-led exercises held in Navy Region Southwest.

"An aircraft mishap is something no one wants to focus on, or talk about," said Dave Busby, training officer for NAS Lemoore, and architect of the multi-faceted training scenario. "Being prepared from both the installation and community stand points is very crucial, so we work hard with our community counterparts to test our lines of communication and responsibilities, so if anything happens, we are prepared to respond to any type of natural or man-made disaster."

Navy Reserve Sailors assigned to Navy Region Southwest initiated the first stage of the exercise setting in place the region's Mobile Command Unit and establishing a command post near the crash site within a few hours of notification.

According to Lt. Francisco Valdez, Navy Reserve, Commander Navy Installations Command Region Southwest, the part the reservists played in the scenario helped to establish the nerve center allowing for the different organizations to communicate from a central location.

"We handled the facilities part of it. Our Sailors were able to come up from San Diego and within a matter of hours were able to set up and had things running," said Valdez. "With all the agencies involved we wanted to make sure everything was set up as smooth as possible, so that all the agencies involved could come together and take control of the situation."

During day two of the exercise, subject matter experts familiarized local emergency support personnel with aircraft equipment and techniques that would assist first responders during a mishap.

"We had over 200 people on scene including the Kings County Sheriff's Office and Office of Emergency Services, National Weather Service, paramedics, hospital representatives and other agencies," said Busby. "An F/A-18 crash is very dangerous and you need to know from a safety stand point how to respond to that crash. The focus of the seminars was to make our local area first responders better informed and better prepared to respond if needed."

On day three the first responders arrived on scene after receiving reports of a downed aircraft. Firefighters from several Kings County fire departments battled flames erupting form an aircraft fire simulator, while security personnel secured the crash site.

"The Kings County Fire Department was heavily engaged," said Busby. "Today they came up and responded as a unified command with our fire department. Kings County Sheriff's Office was also heavily engaged with traffic control and maintaining a security perimeter with our security department."

The exercise was also a good opportunity for the Installation Training Team and Emergency Response Team to practice mishap response, Busby added.

As the events unfolded, the various command and control components were able to coordinate and pass information collectively thanks to the intricate forms of communication established from the on-site command post.

"We tested very specific response capabilities at the Mobile Command Unit that allowed us to communicate instantaneously with NAS Lemoore's Emergency Operations Center," said Busby.

The Mobile Command Unit is a 40-foot fifth trailer outfitted as a communications center. The Mobile Command Unit included several tents which housed some of the latest satellite and communication equipment that allowed for video teleconferencing, press conferences, as well as housing medical emergency casualties if needed.

The exercise, which was the first of its kind in the area, served to define clear lines of communication between military and civilian first responders and helped establish a response plan in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.