Idaho Falls Airport holds emergency diaster drill
The Idaho Falls Regional Airport held an emergency disaster drill on Wednesday with dozens of volunteers and different emergency agencies, including the Idaho Falls Police Department, the Idaho Falls Fire Department, and the American Red Cross.
“We got here, registered then we started putting makeup on everybody. Then they fed us breakfast and now we’re all out here waiting to be taken on the tarmac,” Raylene Roberts, a volunteer from Eastern Idaho Technical College’s dental program, said.
This was all in preparation for a live emergency drill mocking an airplane crash with mass causalities.
“As a commercial service airport, we’re required to do a live drill every three years. As the airport director, we have to ensure all of the participating agencies are responding appropriately. It’s actually a requirement of our operating certificate to run and airport, to successfully have this airport emergency plan functioning,” Craig Davis, the Idaho Falls Regional Airport director, said.
Before the action, volunteers were at the airport at 7 a.m. to put on makeup and go through their roles in the crash.
“I learned how my make up was going to be first of all, and then I decided to figure out how I was supposed to act,” Randy Allen, a volunteer from Dr. Slaughter’s, said.
Allen figured out how he was supposed to act from his assigned card.
“It just gives you the patient information. So, ‘patient has lower back pain and low abdominal pain. Redness and tenderness in the stomach area and cannot walk from the pain of it,'” Roberts said.
Mass causality events are not common in the area. But with the many summer events coming up, it doesn’t hurt to be as prepared as possible.
“Yeah, it’s great timing, as you mentioned, with all the events coming this year. It kind of, gets all the agencies in gear, like, ‘Hey, this is what we do. Let’s start exercising.’ So it’s kind of a kickoff exercise. I know the fire department is exercising a lot for the 4th of July, the air show and the eclipse,” Davis said.
After the drill, all agencies involved took the time to discuss what the strengths and weaknesses were in responding to this drill.
