Altus Airmen exercise mass casualty response and recovery

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Sybil Taunton
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFNS) --  Altus Air Force Base officials conducted an in-depth force protection exercise here June 1, in a continuing effort to train and prepare base members to respond to a mass casualty incident.

After months of preparation, and a smaller-scale exercise conducted May 12, officials from Altus AFB, Jackson County Memorial Hospital and Jackson County Emergency Services  worked together to fine-tune their response and recovery efforts.

"The mass casualty exercise conducted at Altus AFB on 1 June was successful," said Col. Jon Thomas, the 97th Air Mobility Wing commander. "Our military and civilian personnel all participated in a very demanding exercise where the goal was to challenge wing personnel and processes with a mass-casualty scenario caused by a lone gunman. The goals were to save lives, treat the wounded, protect the base populace from further harm and to begin recovery efforts ... and we achieved those goals."

The exercise kicked off when a simulated lone gunman opened fire at the base chapel. Shortly after, the gates closed and the entire base went into lockdown. While base members took cover, 97th Security Forces Squadron Airmen responded to the scene to subdue the gunman. Once the shooter was subdued, medical and fire emergency services personnel arrived on scene and began recovery efforts.

"This is the first time the base has exercised an incident of this nature to this extent," said Charles North, of the 97th Air Mobility Wing Plans Office. "We had over 65 role players, and the entire base completely shut down temporarily for the exercise."

Altus AFB, along with Sheppard AFB, Texas, and Vance AFB, Okla., were the first three bases picked to exercise this particular scenario within the Air Education and Training Command.

"Each time we exercise, we learn something new and apply those lessons learned ourselves as well as share them with other Air Force installations," Colonel Thomas said.