By Michael Hall
The Brunswick News
ATLANTA, Ga. — It was a fake plane crash, but one that might save lives one day.
The 23 passengers aboard the make-believe XYZ Airlines flight destined for Atlanta Wednesday were covered in made-up “wounds” ranging from soot-covered faces from smoke inhalation to broken legs as they pretended to stagger from the school bus that doubled as the plane’s fuselage.
The wounds had been painted on volunteer role players as the sun rose over the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport in preparation for the full-scale practice emergency exercise that allowed Glynn County first responders to try their hands at following emergency plans developed for a real disaster.
With fires burning in nearly a dozen barrels around the bus, filled with fog to mimic smoke, Glynn County firefighters and paramedics responded to several simulated 911 calls around 9 a.m. about a plane that was on fire in the field beyond the runway.
The crash and the 911 calls were not real, but the response was.
Within minutes, the massive crash fire rescue truck stationed at the airport was on scene, dousing the school bus with water as fire engines and ambulances from three Glynn County Fire Stations arrived on scene and began tending to the injured.
The Glynn County Emergency Management Agency set up a command post near the airport’s terminal building, where efforts by the Glynn County Fire Department, police department and other agencies were coordinated.
Emergency personnel followed an FAA approved plan for disaster response.
Men and women acted like they were in varying degrees of distress with screams, stumbles and falls. Some had suffered head wounds. Others pretended to have trouble breathing because of the smoke. All required medical attention of some kind.
Alan Harper, a volunteer with the American Red Cross who is a veteran role player, suffered a gruesome fake broken leg that with a casual glance looked real, which was the idea. As part of the exercise, paramedics at the scene are supposed to be able to identify injuries so they can practice treating what they might see in a real plane crash.
“I love it,” said Harper of his role playing, a task he takes on every three years when the airport conducts the drill.
The drills are required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“It is exciting,” Harper said.
Robert Brown spent his morning getting makeup, called moulage, put on his face to look like a head wound. He said he’s used to helping people after disasters as a volunteer with the American Red Cross in Savannah.
“This is different, but I enjoy it,” Brown said. “I will be saved today instead of helping other people.”
Robert Burr, executive director of the Glynn County Airport Commission, said the drills are a good way to see how all the first responding agencies will react to a major crash scene.
“This is a chance for all of us to work a scenario where all of us react,” Burr said.
It was good practice for the Glynn County Fire Department, which handled putting out the fires and treating the patients.
“This allowed us to see what our abilities and weaknesses were,” said interim chief Chip Gardner. “When I pulled up, I saw some things we need to improve and some things we did well.”
Adding to the reality of the scenario were three actual emergency calls that were occupying firefighters and paramedics from Glynn County’s fire station at the airport.
“That really tested the system even further,” Gardner said.
Following the drill, all the parties involved got together to discuss what went well and what didn’t.
The drills help keep everyone ready for a real disaster, said EMA Director Jay Wiggins.
“When you get to see it go through the movements, you get to see the holes in it,” Wiggins said.
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©2015 The Brunswick News (Brunswick, Ga.)