Airmen debut as actors

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Janine Thibault
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Volunteers from Eielson and the local community acted as victims Feb. 8 in the Fairbanks National Guard Armory during Alaska Shield 2012, a state-wide exercise that tested various components of the emergency operations plan from the Fairbanks North Star Borough and Fairbanks Fire Department.

"We do these exercises to see how well our plan is written and find areas we can improve so in the event of a real emergency, things flow smooth," said Ernie Misewicz, Fairbanks Fire Department assistant fire chief.

In the scenario, a culmination of weather events lead to the roof collapsing at the National Guard Armory, which was being used as a safe haven for people during the extreme weather conditions.

The effects of the simulated cold weather cascaded until the situation was very dire, especially for those trapped in the building, including the more than 25 Eielson Airmen participating in the exercise.

With more than 40 people trapped with varying degrees of injuries, first responders extracted volunteers from the building and cared for them as their simulated injuries and behaviors dictated.

Prior to the exercise kick-off, volunteers like Airman 1st Class Darron Palmer, 354th Force Support Squadron fitness specialist, went to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital to have make-up applied. Simulated injuries were made to look realistic so first responders could determine which victims needed the most medical attention and the type of treatment most appropriate.

According to Airman 1st Class Wanda Sinclair, 354th Comptroller Squadron special actions technician and volunteer contact for Eielson, some of the acting was very realistic and seemed to simulate actual victim reactions.

For example, a 9-year-old girl had a simulated leg amputation. While she was yelling for help, Palmer was yelling for someone to help her, saying, "she's just a little girl." The little girl also had two siblings there, and a firefighter commented that one of her brothers kept asking the responders where his sister was.

"Watching the exercise gave me a first-hand view of what a real evacuation process would look like in the local community and how resourceful the responders were," said Sinclair.

The exercise gave volunteers the opportunity to network with people they wouldn't normally come into contact with on a daily basis, and also provided the opportunity to assist community first responders, while getting a first-hand view of their response to emergencies.