Operation Great Falls: Local agencies come together to simulate disaster response

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Emerald Ralston
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Agencies from all over Great Falls, including Malmstrom, participated in the Operation Great Falls exercise Aug. 9 at the Montana Expo Park fairgrounds. 

Emergency response personnel participated in this event which had a simulated terrorist attack, hazardous materials explosion and included role-player victims that required medical treatment. 

Malmstrom's HAZMAT team, the Montana Air National Guard fire department, the Great Falls Fire Department, Great Falls Emergency Medical Services and the Great Falls Police Department all participated in this event which went smoothly according to many of the people involved. 

In the exercise, intelligence reports indicated terrorist cells were planning attacks in Northwest states, including Montana, Aug. 6 and 7, according to an exercise narrative provided by Lt. Col. Steve Martinka, Army National Guard. The attacks were purported to occur in smaller communities such as Great Falls, Helena or Kalispell. Reports indicated the cells were planning some type of spectacular attack involving chemicals to create the largest possible impact to the local community. 

The scenario that played out on the ninth included two truck tankers making a delivery of pesticide materials to a location adjacent to the Great Falls fairgrounds. The tanker drivers arrived early for their delivery, so they parked and walked to a diner for breakfast. While the drivers were at breakfast, a mini-van parked next to the tankers and two men exited the van and walked quickly toward the interstate. 

Approximately five minutes later in the scenario, an explosion occurred, rupturing both tanker-cars. The simulated explosion killed several employees of the facility and injured others in the immediate area. 

As part of the scenario, the tankers continued to leak liquid on the ground and the explosion spread chemicals over a two-block area covering the southwest corner of the fairgrounds. 

Many role players from Malmstrom helped in the scenario by playing the wounded, showing up at 7:30 a.m. to get moulaged, making them look like they were realistically wounded so the paramedics could more easily assess their health status. 

The purpose of this joint, off-base, emergency exercise was to demonstrate local, state, federal and interagency information flow and corrdination; to demonstrate integrated interoperability of land and air; to build communications; fire fighting, HAZMAT response and emergency management capabilities; test all mutual aid systems; deploy National Guard forces in support of civil authorities; and close training gaps in capabilities identified by past exercises and gap analyses. 

Another reason for this exercise was as part of a memorandum of agreement with Montana Emergency Services, Malmstrom is required to conduct joint exercises with local responders annually, said Dan Keder, 341st Space Wing Chief of exercise evaluation teams. 

"If an actual incident occurred, we'd provide mutual aid," Mr. Keder said. "The fire department on base is part of the regional HAZMAT team and we have a weapons-of-mass-destruction detection team that can provide immediate assistance in incidents that result in loss of life and property." 

The exercise also served as a way for leaders in each agency to meet and get experience working with each other in case of an actual crisis. 

"The whole point of this exercise is to see the interaction between the agencies that would come together in this event," said Royce Shipley, 341st Civil Engineer Squadron disaster preparedness specialist. "No agency could handle this scenario alone so that's why we bring them all together to practice." 

"The first time you meet, you don't want to be responding to a real emergency," Mr. Keder said. 

The exercise had its lessons-learned of course, but went well for the most part. 

"I thought the whole thing went rather well," said Joe Keller, Montana Air National Guard firefighter. "Everything was pretty much right on for the most part." 

"I think it triage was perfectly set up," said Jeremy Jones, Great Falls Fire Department. "It was an outstanding job - couldn't have gone any better. Determining the liaison between agencies was kind of difficult at first but it worked itself out." 

After the fire departments responded, the HAZMAT team assembled and set up decontamination stations to collect chemicals. 

Like most exercises, there were a few glitches the agencies ran into, but that is why exercises are held, said Mr. Keder. 

"In the end, the exercise accomplished what it was designed to do," he said. "All the participants are better prepared to work together now than they were before the exercise."