Hill Air Force Base exercise simulates mass casualty incident


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HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Dozens of screams and sirens could be heard at around 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.

"We're simulating approximately 250 to 300 victims," said Col. Kathryn Kolbe of the 75th Airbase Wing. "It allows us to work closely with our partners in the community."

Those partners consist of about 20 police and fire departments around Davis and Weber Counties. For some, the chance to be involved in a large-scale emergency drill like this is rare.

"This type of exercise is amazing," Davis County Sheriff's deputy Christopher Pope said. "If it happens in real life, we'll have more of an idea and a better time with it."

The mass-casualty exercise was designed to simulate a F-16 crash during an air show. It was a chance for both base and local first-responders to test their skills before the "Warriors Over Wasatch" air show next month.

"This is small-scale," HAFB Deputy Fire Chief Craig Golden pointed out, noting that many more people could be injured or killed in a real crash. "There's a lot of simulations we have to do just because of where we're at and the active flight line."

Hundreds of mock-victims were dressed in makeup and castings, made to look like real injuries. The crowd was made up of students from the nearby Clearfield Job Corps Center. Many of them were demanding immediate medical attention to help maintain a sense of chaos.

"That's the hardest part," Pope said. "When we get this type of mass-casualty patients, we have to first decide who needs the first treatment."

Patients were loaded onto buses, ambulances and helicopters before being taken to several area hospitals that were also participating in the drill.

Emergency responders were preparing for the various scenarios before next month's "Warriors Over the Wasatch" air show. The long-running show featuring the Air Force "Thunderbirds" is set for June 28-29, and is expected to attract nearly 500,000 visitors.

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