NAS Whiting Holds Aircraft Emergency Response Drill

MILTON, Fla. (NNS) -- Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field exercised its emergency response capabilities Aug. 7, when the base executed a casualty drill that called into action elements from the base and local agencies.

The exercise was evaluated by the Commander Navy Region Southeast Training Team, and one of four drills the base will perform this year.

The scenario entailed an emergency landing for an aircraft that went awry when the T-6B Texan crashed into the Navy Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Choctaw air traffic control tower as well as emergency response vehicles stationed nearby with teams inside. With communications and the localized firefighting capability down, a simulated 911-call from the community initiated the response. Within minutes, teams from nearby NOLF Santa Rosa, Holly-Navarre Fire Department and Lifeguard Ambulance Services were on site to deal with the situation.

"We have to be prepared for anything and everything. That's what Fire and Emergency Services does," said Glen Greenough, the on-scene incident commander and one of the assistant fire chiefs of operations for NAS Whiting Field's fire department. "We have a great working relationship with the local communities, and a drill like this helps us strengthen our partnerships with our colleagues in Santa Rosa County."

Exercising the mutual aid agreements with the various agencies in Santa Rosa County was one of the main goals of the drill. County and municipal emergency service teams will assist NAS Whiting Field assets as necessary just as the Whiting Field Fire Department will respond to emergencies out in the local communities. Past drills have tested the mutual aid agreements in various locations within the five-county area where NAS Whiting Field has assets, but this is the first time in recent history the unit has worked with Navarre-Holly.

The team from NOLF Santa Rosa arrived first and immediately proceeded to combat the aircraft fire, simulated with a helo fire trainer. Within minutes, the Navarre-Holley team showed up and attacked the air traffic control tower structural fire. The teams also worked to remove injured personnel from the scene and to prepare them for evacuation to local hospitals. Behind the scenes, the event also incorporated an activation of the Emergency Control Center, and initiated the administrative response procedures such as notification of next of kin and counseling for personnel through the Chaplains' office and Fleet and Family Support Center. It was a complex drill that tested nearly every facet of NAS Whiting Field's emergency response checklist.

"I have never seen a larger scale exercise here before," Cmdr. Robin Higgs, the Regional Training Team senior officer who observed the drill, said Higgs. "It was phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. These kinds of exercises help us make ourselves better. It was an extremely impressive drill."

The event wrap-up emphasized the lessons learned for future training sessions or live responses. With inter-agency coordination and extra elements imposed on the scenario, no one expected it would go completely as planned, but that's the purpose of training, according to NAS Whiting Field Commanding Officer Capt. Matthew Coughlin - to prepare for the unexpected.

"We have a great safety record here, but some time, something bad could happen. This was a difficult exercise and we tested a lot of moving pieces," he said during the drill debrief to the response teams. "Thank you for your vigilance and your participation. I was very pleased with what I saw out here today."

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