"Portland, Maine Jetport passes FAA drill of 'disaster'"

Friday, June 8, 2001

Jetport passes FAA drill of 'disaster'
By OSAMU TSUKIMORI
Portland (ME) Press Herald


United Airlines Flight 1230, a fictional flight carrying 89 passengers,
"crashed" at the Portland International Jetport on Thursday, kicking off an
emergency exercise held every three years at the airport.

Hundreds of people from Portland schools, the Portland Fire Department and
more than 40 other agencies participated in the drill. It followed eight
months of planning and used fake bones, blood and intestines to make it
authentic.

"This is as real as it can get," said John Beatty, the fire department's
public information officer. "It makes us conscious of what a mass casualty
would be."

The simulated aircraft, which is one-fifth actual size, was soon engulfed in
flames. Two fire engines put out the fire with 4,500 gallons of white-foamed
water within two minutes of the call, satisfying an FAA requirement.

One of the fire engines, the Snoozle, can pinpoint the location of a fire
and pierce the outer layer of an aircraft. Portland's Snoozle is one of only
two in New England and 250 in the world, Beatty said.

Students from Deering and Portland high schools and King Middle School and
the mayors of Portland and South Portland were among the victims.

The rescue ambulance arrived within minutes and quickly gauged the extent of
injuries of each victim before they were taken to the hospital. Victims were
tagged red, yellow or blue, depending on the seriousness of the injuries.
The first critical victim arrived at the hospital in less than 20 minutes,
said Fire Lt. Cindy Wilson.

Portland Mayor Cheryl Leeman praised the collaborative efforts by various
agencies and communities.

"I hope if anything ever happens to me, that I would be in Portland," Leeman
said. "It reaffirmed what I know about the quality of the personnel that we
have in our Fire Department and our medical unit. It's good to be prepared."

Victims tested rescue personnel in a variety of ways. Leeman, for example,
pretended to have a latex allergy and was asking rescuers not to touch her
with their latex gloves.

Students from the King Middle School tested the Fire Department on its
foreign language skills.

South Portland Mayor Nancy Larsen said the drill will play a big role in
future disaster situations. "There's always room for improvement," Larsen
said. "I think that's what they'll find. And when the real disaster happens,
we're totally prepared for it."

The rescue unit also expressed its satisfaction with Thursday's per-
formance.

"We accomplished our goal in the fact that we moved the critical patients
out quick," Wilson said. We didn't have as much help as we normally do. But
we were able to utilize everybody we had."

The Federal Aviation Administration requires the drill every three years.


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