Team Seymour, local community team up to test accident response

by Airman 1st Class Shawna L. Keyes
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

8/19/2014 - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C.  -- Seymour Johnson Air Force Base partnered with Goldsboro and Wayne County first responders for a two-day, major accident and response exercise Aug 15 in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

The exercise was an annual requirement designed to test the effectiveness of both the base and local authorities to a military incident in the Goldsboro area.

"It's important for the base and local community to become familiar with working cooperatively should an incident occur," said Sean Quinby, 4th Civil Engineer Squadron fire chief. "Exercises like this help train our first responders on the processes and procedures they will need to implement."

For the scenario, Airmen and local authorities responded to a simulated KC-135R Stratotanker crash less than two miles from the base, resulting in more than 45 simulated injuries and deaths.

On the first day of the exercise, responders were notified of the event and quickly arrived on scene. The 4th Security Forces Squadron coordinated their efforts with Goldsboro and Wayne County authorities to secure the area. Soon after, Airmen assigned to the 4th Medical Group helped identify severely injured members for transport to Wayne Memorial Hospital.

To make the training more realistic, base personnel acted as victims and wore special makeup, or moulage, to simulate life-like injuries. The victims were provided notecards to help responders verify the injuries. The notecards, much like a script, also outlined what the victims were supposed to say and do to maximize the realism of their injuries.

Base firefighters with the 4th CES worked with their local counterparts at the Wayne County Office of Emergency Services to extinguish the simulated fire that engulfed the aircraft and help medics treat the wounded.

"Should an aircraft crash off the installation, it's vital for the base and the local community to work together seamlessly," said Master Sgt. Garrett Faust, 4th Fighter Wing exercise planner and inspector. "The ability to work together will determine how well an actual emergency would be handled."

Quinby described the collaboration between the base and Goldsboro and Wayne County first responders as one of the best he's seen during his tenure at Seymour Johnson AFB.

"I've been at Seymour Johnson for nearly 13 years now, and this is the best coordination I've seen between on-base to off-base organizations yet," Quinby said.

Following the initial response, members of the 4th Force Support Squadron's crash recovery team accomplished a grid search to help the installation's safety investigation team find any items that would identify the cause of the crash.

The second day of the exercise tested the installations ability to deal with the aftermath of the crash, dealing mainly with cleanup of debris and identifying environmental impact.

"Seymour Johnson Airmen were given a very complex scenario," said Maj. Michael Kelly, 4th Fighter Wing Inspector General inspections chief. "The performance and collaboration between the players in the exercise was excellent. Because of the outstanding effort during the planning, executing and debriefing of this exercise, Team Seymour and Wayne Country are better prepared to respond to a variety of contingencies."