Jordan Buness answers his radio while checking on the condition of Loretta Rice, one of the participants in last Tuesday's disaster drill. Rice was one of the "walking wounded," only sustaining a few cuts and bruises that were simulated with fake blood and makeup.
Kym Roher and her dog, Ella, wait in a staging area at the airport for an ambulance to transport them to the hospital. Roher was one of the disaster drill's participants who received relatively minor "injuries." Ella was also the only canine "victim" in the disaster drill.
The disaster drill that took place last week, according to Cathy Gross, was a simulation of a plane crash. To add some realism to the drill, two wrecked cars were set on fire on the airport's runway.
Fire, smoke, and sirens could all be seen and heard at the Wrangell airport last Tuesday afternoon. While there was no real emergency, the situation was meant to simulate one. A disaster drill was held on the airport's runway. According to Airport Manager Willie Bloom, the drill is a triennial event in Wrangell and is required by the FAA. He said the drill is meant to be an opportunity for the Department of Transportation, the Wrangell Fire Department, and the city's medical services be better prepared to collaborate in an actual emergency.
"It makes sense to combine, obviously, with the fire department because we would be joining forces with them if there was an incident out here," said Dorianne Sprehe, with the fire department. "Then the hospital plays along because it tests their ability to put up their emergency operations and such."
The drill was a simulation of an airplane crash, according to Cathy Gross, with the Wrangell Medical Center. There were about 67 people "on board" during this fictional wreck. Mostly high school students, the participants were laid out all over the runway in fake blood, makeup, and artificial injuries. Some played dead while others cried for help. Each "victim" was also given a card to wear around their necks, outlining their injuries and how responsive they would likely be in a real emergency. To add more realism to the "disaster," airport firefighters set two wrecked cars out on the runway and set them on fire with gasoline and road flares.
Airport personnel were the first on the scene when the disaster drill began, around 5:30 p.m. The fire department showed up next, a few minutes after the call went out. Airport personnel handled the majority of the work for putting out the fires, while firefighters began going around the runway triaging "victims." The Wrangell Police Department and the TSA also played a role in the drill, keeping a perimeter around the airport.
"Our role was to assist the state DOT with any fire suppression," Sprehe said, adding that they also had the task of triaging and transporting people to the hospital.
After assessing everyone's injuries, the volunteers were gathered together a safe distance from the fires to await transportation via ambulance. Katrina Ottesen, with SEARHC, said that six patients were transported to the medical center, while the AICS Clinic received 18. All of the volunteers were triaged and transported appropriately, Gross said. Bloom also said he felt that the drill went well, as things were winding down.
"For SEARHC Wrangell Medical Center and the community of Wrangell, this was a successful disaster drill," Ottesen said in an email. "A drill of this size would not be possible without the help of our volunteers, who are willing to donate their time for this valuable training exercise. Changes to the facility emergency plan that were made prior to the drill, concerning our communication and triage processes, proved to be effective. The goal is a seamless, coordinated response by our Wrangell SEARHC facilities in the event of a disaster to support our community, and the April 30 drill was a great starting point."
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