Several area fire departments and EMTs responded to a fake airplane crash at the Rhinelander Oneida County Airport Wednesday.
The FAA requires airports to hold drills every three years.
While it was only a simulation, the goal was for it to be as real as possible.
The firetrucks and ambulances are at the airport before the scenario starts.
Rhinelander Oneida County Airport Director Matthew Leitner says they’re given some details ahead of time.
“We've got it gamed out, if you will, but we want to have a little bit of uncertainty and surprise in there again, while being safe about it,” said Leitner. “They never know what they're going to encounter, so we want them to be adequately prepared by throwing a little uncertainty into it.”
There’s a fake plane designed for these scenarios. It produces fire that can move to different parts of the plane and go in and out.
Students from Rhinelander High School volunteered to be the people that were on-board and were injured.
Calls also go out over the radio for local firefighters and paramedics to respond.
Even though they’re all standing by, they still time out responses like they would in a real emergency with the airport firefighters responding first, then the City of Rhinelander Fire Department, and then calling in other area departments and ambulances as needed.
They use tankers and hook up to hydrants to put out of the fire. Paramedics load patients into ambulances.
“It's a really comprehensive exercise,” said Leitner.
Leitner says one of the most important parts is the debriefing after the scenario to talk about what worked and what didn’t.
Airplane incidents in general, especially ones that would require this kind of response, are incredibly rare, but they still need to be prepared.
“We do our utmost to prevent any risk whatsoever, but we do realize that anything can happen anywhere at any time, and we've got to be prepared for that,” said Leitner.
