St. Augustine airport training uses actors, bus to simulate crash

Firefighters sprayed down a smoking bus and carried volunteer actors, who pretended to be injured passengers, to safety near a runway at a Northeast Florida Regional Airport training on Wednesday morning.

Every three years, first responders participate in such a training exercise to prepare for emergencies, said Kevin Harvey, airport operations manager. The Federal Aviation Administration requires the training.

"We put on a disaster exercise, get as many volunteers as we can," Harvey said.

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In between the emergency scenarios, the airport conducts drills and other trainings, he said.

First responders from St. Johns County Fire Rescue and the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office participated in the exercise.

The airport planned the fake scenario: an airplane wrecking after colliding with a flock of birds. Firefighters sprayed the bus, which acted as the plane, with a hose and practiced moving patients to safety and treating them.

"I was a victim, and I had two broken legs. I could not walk," volunteer Sacha Martin said about her role in the simulation. "And my breathing was somewhat limited, and I was coherent but not able to move, yeah. …. first they did triage."

The airport normally brings in a plane from Daytona Beach, Harvey said. A few years ago it cost about $5,000 to have a plane brought to St. Augustine, he said.

"The cost was just prohibitive to move it up here, so (the bus) was the next best thing," Harvey said.

He estimated about 60-70 people participated in the exercise. The airport invited officials from the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration, who observed the training.

Crews also drove airboats belonging to the sheriff's office and the airport around the marsh, conducting a search-and-rescue training.

The marshy area adjacent to parts of the airport are a hazard for pilots because they are difficult for rescue crews to navigate.

Problems navigating the marsh contributed to about a 45-minute delay in first responders getting to Marianne Fox, who crashed into the marsh upside down on March 2. Fox, 49, of Oregon, died at UF Health Jacksonville hospital.

Harvey said a safety review committee is being organized in response to the wreck.

"It's still in the beginning stage, but it has begun," he said.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Northeast Florida Regional Airport in St. Augustine trains for crashes