Glynn County Fire Department

Airport Drill Tests Emergency Resources

By J Combs

April 30, 2003

Courtesy News4Jax.com

See a short video clip of the exercise.

Video provided with permission

BRUNSWICK, GA - April 30, 2003, authorities conducted a full-scale disaster drill at the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport on Glynco Parkway near U.S. 17. This drill, required by the Federal Aviation Administration every three years, is intended to test the airport's emergency response plan. The drill included approximately 12 city, county, state and federal emergency agencies and was concentrated on the airport grounds southwest of the airline terminal.

At approximately 8:09 pm the Glynn County Fire and Police Departments were notified by the Glynn-Brunswick Dispatch that a small airplane had crashed at the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport. First arriving fire department units reported that there were actually two planes down. The first a small private airplane and second a commercial passenger airline. Responding personnel advised responding units that there was heavy fire and that there were mass casualties at the crash site. The responding Fire Department Deputy Chief verified that there were mass casualties and notified dispatch to send all mainland squads to the incident and to notify both volunteer divisions to respond.

While the police department personnel were securing the airfield and nearby intersections the fire department personnel were busy extinguishing fires and assessing the medical condition of the passengers at the scene.

First to arrive, Glynn County Fire Department's airport units went to work extinguishing the fires and securing the downed aircraft. A command center along with a triage area was established by Glynn County fire and medical personnel. As additional personnel and equipment arrived, the passengers involved in the incident had their injuries evaluated and were "tagged" so the responding personnel could better identify which patients needed immediate medical attention and which ones needed minor or no medical attention. During this time the command center notified all other responding authorities to inform them of the incident. The airline was notified and a copy of the passenger and cargo manifest requested.

Photo by Joan Parker / The Brunswick News

Fire Department personnel prepare a patient for transport to the hospital during the airport disaster exercise.

Once triaged, fire and medical personnel relocated the patients to the appropriate triage area in preparation for transport the local hospital. The passengers in need of immediate medical attention were airlifted to the Southeast Regional Medical Center by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. Other critical patients were transported by both county and private ambulance services. Non-critical patients, referred to as walking wounded, were transported to the hospital by a Glynn County school bus staffed with medical personnel. All wounded passengers of the crash were transported to the hospital in 73 minutes or less from the beginning of the exercise.

Following the removal of all passengers, personnel were instructed to perform an additional search to verify that all the passengers needing medical treatment had been transported. During this search personnel were instructed to be cautious of a potential bio-hazard package as indicated on the cargo manifest, and that once located to secure the area. Once the bio-hazard was located and the area secured, the Health Department notified to respond to the scene to assume responsibility for the item.

After all patients were transported and the scene secured by fire and police personnel the Glynn County coroner was escorted to the deceased passengers for pronouncement. Area funeral homes had personnel arriving to assist with the transport of the deceased.

The drill concluded with the scene being secured by fire personnel and turned over to the Glynn County Police Department personnel in preparation for an investigation by federal agencies.

A total of 57 career and volunteer fire department personnel responded to the incident with additional fire department personnel overseeing the incident as safety officers and observers. The exercise was recorded and will be reviewed and analyzed to look for areas that the agencies can improve.