By Aaron Reincheld
An emergency landing of a flight from Chicago to Washington, D.C., is scheduled for Thursday evening at the Gordon K. Bush Ohio University Airport. The plane will be forced to land in Athens after terrorists take over the flight. The good news is the whole thing will be staged.
The plane, of course, will consist only of yellow tape on the ground, fire fighters will be battling an invisible fire without water and the only terrorists are the emergency crews who hopefully won't scare the public into thinking this is a real event.
This emergency systems test and training event will involve fire crews, emergency medical services, hazmat personnel and a number of area hospitals, including O'Bleness Memorial Hospital, Doctor's Hospital in Nelsonville and the Holzer clinics in Jackson and Gallipolis.
"This is like dress rehearsal for a play we hope never ever opens," said Jim Schulz, nursing supervisor at O'Bleness and chair of the emergency preparedness and exercise committees for the Athens County Emergency Management Agency.
Jill Harris, EMA director, said training events such as the one planned occur only every three or four years and are vitally important.
"It allows us to not only find out what may need improved on but allows our first responders to test the training they already do as individual departments," she said. "The collaboration we have for this drill is incredible for Athens County."
The "players," as Schulz called them, will go through the motions of a real event. The hospitals will "treat" Hocking College EMS and health service student volunteer "victims" of biochemical weapons and decontamination huts will be setup at the airport for them as well.
However, Schulz said the event will require a lot of imagination. "You basically have to say, 'This is what I'd be doing if this were happening,'" he said.
The event shouldn't even interrupt service at the airport. The crews will use a portion of the tarmac that is only used when larger planes arrive for a visit from a dignitary.
The event will help the involved parties meet varied requirements to maintain certification. But most importantly, the exercise will help the county see if its emergency response would be adequate.
"The only way we can prove it is with an exercise," Schulz said. "If you have a real disaster you don't need an exercise."
Aaron Reincheld is a graduate student writer with University Communications and Marketing.
