"Indianapolis airport 'accident' tests effectiveness of disaster plan"

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Airport 'accident' tests effectiveness of disaster plan
By Rob Schneider
The Indianapolis (IN) Star


In the aftermath of the simulated accident at the airport Saturday, fire
rescue personnel will evaluate how they might better save lives should a
real incident occur.

The event, featuring smoke, fire and a cast of 100 victims, was designed to
test fire and police officers' ability to respond to Indianapolis
International Airport's disaster plan.

Much of the exercise involved practicing triage -- the art of evaluating
patients' conditions and then assigning them to one of three areas, from
critical to good condition, along a runway.

That part of Saturday's event left Indianapolis Airport Fire Chief Rick
Gentry feeling pretty good. "We were pretty effective in moving patients,"
he said of the volunteers, who braved stiff winds to lie around a 727
jetliner.

But the response of assisting fire departments was a different matter. "Some
of the security issues that we didn't have to face in the past may have
slowed the response," he said of the increased precautions airports must now
take.

"We are working on ways to correct that."

Protocol now dictates that any outside department vehicle must be escorted
onto airport property.

Responding agencies typically report to staging areas when they are called.
Gentry wants to know whether there is "a way to speed up getting those
(units) through staging."

The exercise simulated a collision of a 727 and a single-engine plane on the
runway, and shortly before 9:30 a.m. the fuselage of the small plane was set
on fire.

The control tower notified the airport's Fire Department after seeing smoke,
and five lime-green airport firetrucks rushed to the scene. The airport
continued to operate throughout the exercise.

With the fire out, the crews turned their attention to the victims scattered
around the fuselage and began assessing their condition, or in this case,
reading a card that described their injuries.

Among the victims was Cindy Tinnell, who works in terminal services at the
airport. "I thought it would be fun," said Tinnell, whose pretend injuries
left her unable to walk.

Judy Hinman, whose husband, David, works in terminal maintenance, also
volunteered. "I thought it would be a great opportunity to help out," she
said.

The airport is required to conduct periodic drills to maintain its operating
certificate, said airport spokesman Dennis Rosebrough.

The idea is to ensure that responding agencies go over where they are
supposed to be and what their responsibilities are, Rosebrough said.

"This is an opportunity to really do it."

Attached Photo:

Rescue workers assessed conditions of "victims" of Saturday's disaster
exercise at Indianapolis International, which must conduct periodic drills
to maintain its operating certificate.

image-187023-1901.jpg