By Paula Peterson
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Smoke unveils the “crashed” C130 and “victims on the tarmac. Photo by Paula Peterson. -
State flag put through the hatch of the C130. Photo by Paula Peterson. -
Helicopter response. Photo by Paula Peterson. -
“Victims” outside the airplane being evaluated. Photo by Paula Peterson. -
Military helicopter going through the smoke to access damage. Photo by Paula Peterson. -
One of the “casualties.” Photo by Paula Peterson. -
“Victims”. Photo by Paula Peterson. -
Part of the emergency response team. Photo by Paula Peterson.
The last time emergency response processes were tested in South Lake Tahoe was during the 2007 Angora Fire. In order to test communication, responses and evaluate procedures, a mock disaster drill was held at the Tahoe Valley Airport Monday.
The scenario: A C130 airplane crashes at the airport. There are casualties, injuries and a fuel spill. 47 people are injured. Mayor Hal Cole and council members Davis and Connor have issued a resolution for a state of emergency stating that our resources are limited and seeking additional state resources.
The response: The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, Police Department, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department, Barton Hospital, Probation, City employees, the Red Cross and the military all respond to the emergency. They assess the situation, respond to the “injured” and keep the public informed through the emergency alert system and with alerts to the media by the Information Officer. Inside, the City Council chambers have been turned into the Incident Command Center. The City Attorney’s office is now the media/communications center.
In case this was a real emergency, the severely wounded would be transported to the hospital and those not needed emergency services would be transferred to the Recreation Center where the Red Cross manned the center. All people needed information on loved ones would go through the Red Cross at the Rec Center.
The result: The training exercise created by Paul Bias of the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department. The FAA requires exercises such as this and Bias created a drill to put all agencies in the basin to use in case of a disaster. All systems were tested Monday and will be evaluated to see what, if anything, needs to be worked on.
If you did not get an emergency alert/reverse 911 on your cell phone, sign up today so you will be kept informed in case of a disaster and/or emergency.
During the actual emergency training session at the airport, a real emergency occurred on Johnson Blvd when a truck carrying trusses hit a power pole. Two schools, businesses and a neighborhood all lost power for just under an hour.