Sept. 07--YORK, Pa. -- The tags hanging from their clothing said Mary Hall, of Manchester, and Jenn Bender, of Harrisburg, should be confused. Makeup gave them some bloody injuries. But beyond that, they didn't really know what to expect from playing crash victims in a training exercise at Harrisburg International Airport.
Hall spotted the call for volunteers on a Facebook page listing area auditions. She and Bender have been trying activities that take them out of their comfort zones, they said, so they gave it a shot.
"We're in it to help, but we're also in it for the experience," Hall said.
HIA conducted a full-scale emergency training exercise Saturday morning. Commercial service airports are required by the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct such exercises once every three years, said Tim Edwards, executive director of the airport, adding that the airport's emergency plan is otherwise reviewed annually.
The training exercise involved agencies outside the airport, such as hospitals, emergency crews from surrounding communities, and the American Red Cross, he said. It's a way to coordinate their actions so they are prepared for a real emergency, he said.
The exercise will be reviewed afterward, Edwards said, so the airport can identify things that went well or didn't go so well and figure out how to address them.
Saturday morning, volunteer victims took places around a field off the end of the airport
runway, and the drill got under way. Emergency crews arrived to put out a fire and set up triage areas for victims, many who started to wander from the crash site. Mannequins served as victims still trapped in the wreckage, represented by old cars for the exercise.
Airport spokesman Scott Miller said later that the exercise went well overall. There were some small items identified in areas like communication or coordination that can be worked on, he said, and more extensive review will be completed later.
"Overall, we're happy with the results," he said.
Several area Boy Scout troops participated in the drill, serving as victims with bloody gashes or burn marks.
For 18-year-old Wyatt Franks, an Eagle Scout and assistant scoutmaster for Troop 155 in Red Lion, it was the second time he's participated in the exercise.
"I love it," he said, before the exercise began. It is a good experience for the scouts, but it helps the emergency crews, too, he said.
Brad Dingle, committee chair for the troop, said scouts are expected to do community service, so this is one way they can give back.
Before the drill, Wade Rhinehart, of the HIA fire department, applied makeup to Keagan Yocum, 12, with Troop 97 of Middletown, giving him a bruise on his forehead and burn on his arm.
"It's fun," Keagan said. "I've done it before for Halloween, but never for an emergency drill."
Online
For more information about Harrisburg International Airport, visit www.flyhia.com, or follow the airport on Facebook at www.facebook.com/flyHIA or Twitter @HIAairport.
Copyright 2013 - York Daily Record, Pa.
