Firefighters carry a dummy victim Wednesday during a full-scale emergency-response training exercise at the Santa Barbara Airport. 
A firefighter stand watch over fake casualties covered with tarps Wednesday during a full-scale emergency-response training exercise at the Santa Barbara Airport. 
Firefighters tend to a pretend victim Wednesday during a full-scale emergency-response training exercise at the Santa Barbara Airport. 
A Santa Barbara Airport fire vehicle sprays foam Wednesday uring a full-scale emergency-response training exercise at the Santa Barbara Airport. 
Firefighters carry a pretend victim Wednesday during a full-scale emergency-response training exercise at the Santa Barbara Airport. 
A pretend victim on a gurney Wednesday during a full-scale emergency-response training exercise at the Santa Barbara Airport. 
A firefighter tends to a pretend victim Wednesday during a full-scale emergency-response training exercise at the Santa Barbara Airport. 
Fake victims on the runway at the Santa Barbara Airport as a fire vehicle sprays foam.
First responders throughout Santa Barbara County conducted a full-scale emergency-response training exercise at the Santa Barbara Airport on Wednesday, with volunteers playing the roles of victims.
The multi-agency planned event, which the airport must conduct every three years under Federal Aviation Administration requirements, started at 9:30 a.m. and finished at around 11 a.m.
The exercise did not interfere with the usual operations at the airfield, but the mock scenario did send white smoke into the sky north of the main runway.
The purpose of the drill is for emergency crews to gain practice and increase emergency preparedness in the event of a major aircraft incident, airport spokeswoman Lynn Houston said.
The Santa Barbara Airport is required to maintain an emergency plan outlining response procedures with partner agencies that must effectively respond and manage emergencies on airfield property, Houston said.
The training was planned before a C-130 aircraft crash landed at the airport in August, Houston said.
Wednesday’s multiple-victim disaster occurred in real-time, with fire crews, airport and emergency medical personnel and law enforcement agencies responding to the incident.
“The drill is important because it gets all resources training together for when an emergency does happen,” Santa Barbara City Fire Department Engineer Kevin Corbett said. “Coming out here today… there’s no chance of someone getting hurt, we are going through every step, and setting up everything. It helps us work together, so when we do have an incident, we are ready to go.”
The drill simulated a scenario in which a commercial airliner carrying passengers departed from the Santa Barbara Airport. Flight crews requested the plane immediately circle back for an emergency landing. It crash-landed on the runway.
A large bus replicated the aircraft during the training exercise.
The Santa Barbara Airport’s specialized foam trucks doused some areas at the scene.
The training was treated as a mass casualty incident, Corbett said.
About 50 volunteers of all ages played the roles of crash victims in need of medical treatment. Community members, some fake crying and groaning in pain, wore costume makeup and had prosthetics to replicate injuries.
First responders executed on-site triage and brought color-coded tarps that identified the most and least severely injured.
Patient assistance, transportation and communication with nearby hospitals were stimulated as part of the event.
A debriefing took place at the end to assess planning and identify areas for improvement. There’s also an evaluation of the exercise.
“We are always trying to improve,” Corbett said. “We can’t attain perfection, but we always strive for it.”
The Santa Barbara Airport and city of Santa Barbara fire crews, along with the Carpinteria, Montecito and Summerland fire departments, the Santa Barbara Police Department, the Santa Barbara MTD and the Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Services were on hand.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Sheriff's Office, Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau and county Office of Emergency Services joined the drill.
The Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, American Red Cross, American Medical Response, California Highway Patrol, several airlines, Signature Flight Support, Atlantic Aviation, UC Santa Barbara Police Department and Easy Lift also participated.
“It always pays to be prepared,” Corbett said. “The Santa Barbara area has a great reputation for all first responders working together with mutual aid. It doesn’t matter what color the engine is… we want everyone to be taken care of and provided for.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
