Airport's disaster response teams get exercise in terror

By KALEA HALL

khall@vindy.com

VIENNA

Hijackers. Heroes. Explosions. Fire.

It’s a scene from an event that hopefully never will be reality at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna Township, where the commercial airliner Allegiant offers service.

But it’s an important practice exercise for those involved, so they know how to work together in the event of a disaster.

“It’s good to exercise different scenarios,” said Don Johnson, operations/security coordinator for the airport.

The full-state disaster drill on Friday morning at the 910th Airlift Wing involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Transportation Security Administration, airport officials, Western Reserve Port Authority, local law enforcement, firefighters, the Air Force Reserve and the Federal Aviation Administration. The scenario fulfilled the FAA’s requirement to conduct these exercises every three years.

“We have two roles,” said Master Sgt. Bob Barko Jr., superintendent of public affairs for the 910th Airlift Wing “Our emergency management planning and executing the exercise. Our security forces are assisting law enforcement.”

The scenario was set up at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station on King Graves Road with a bus starring as the mock plane. The skeleton of a mock aircraft was then used to simulate a fire.

The scenario starts with two hijackers rushing past the checkpoint at the local airport and jumping onto a plane. With the flight seized at the terminal, the pilot runs it into the dirt before taking off.

About 10 heroic passengers overtake one of the hijackers and chase him off of the plane.

“Hands up where I can see them,” a law enforcement official yelled.

While those passengers speak with law enforcement, the negotiations continue with the other hijacker.

Negotiations fail.

Minutes that feel like hours pass before the first explosion happens.

Boom.

There it is, and with it comes fire and chaos — as there would be in real life.

“Aircraft on fire at this time,” the radios yell at 10:30 a.m.

Firefighters from the 910th Airlift Wing Civil Engineer Fire Department, dressed in gleaming silver protective gear, quickly get to work putting out the controlled fire in the windy weather and helping the hurt survivors.

Capt. John West of the Civil Engineer Fire Department runs to every survivor to evaluate injuries. Some are worse than others. The severely injured are carried on stretchers, and some are helped over to the makeshift treatment area.

Within a half hour or less, emergency personnel complete their tasks in the scenario.

“The point isn’t to beat the scenario,” Johnson said. “The object is to respond to it.”