MARE prepares Whiteman emergency response teams

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cody H. Ramirez
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Emergency response personnel assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base and from the surrounding communities conducted a Major Accident Response Exercise here Aug. 31, in preparation for the upcoming Wings Over Whiteman Air Show and Open House scheduled for Sept. 18 and 19.

"The exercise brought together key personnel from on and off-base, from initial responders to wing leadership," said Lt. Col. Michael Wittrock, 509th Bomb Wing Chief of Wing Plans and Programs, and air show director. "Exercises help build relationships and procedures between off-base agencies that work with us to identify and fix issues prior to an air show, and mitigate real-world accidents, if they were to happen."

The MARE kicked off with a simulated F-16 Fighting Falcon crash during an air show demonstration at 10:30 a.m. Emergency responders arrived on scene in minutes to extinguish fires at the crash site and to analyze other threats such as hazardous spills and mock unexploded ordnance.

Simulated debris from the crash struck two buses full of volunteers acting as air show attendees. Medical response teams brought care and transportation for more than 50 'victims.'

"People always talk about unforeseen disasters and events, and although none are planned, we do have an idea of possible situations that we should be prepared for," said Colonel Wittrock. "Exercises such as this one, allow us to prepare for these scenarios. By continually training for these possibilities, we ensure the people visiting or stationed on base are kept as safe as possible."

Despite real-world interruptions, the outcome of the exercise was successful.

"We had to work through some unplanned events, such as storms and real-world fire alarms," said Colonel Wittrock. "We also included a number of new personnel on the response team, however, the training was very beneficial and the responders overall did very well."

"All teams met their objectives and personnel responded well," said Senior Master Sgt. Carlito Catalasan, 509th BW/XP special projects chief. "We have the capability of controlling a major accident, and today proved it. I'm confident that between fire, medical and security responders, we're ready to mitigate the worst case scenario."