Real scenarios, props test reactions during exercise

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stefanie Torres
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Explosions rumble through Misawa Air Base killing and injuring several military members on May 28. 

While planting his first bomb on base, the terrorist accidentally killed himself in the process. A second bomb intended to kill as many first responders as possible sits 40 feet away, armed and ready to go off. 

Misawa AB is now in a state of emergency. How long would it take for responders to react? 

Although this situation did not actually happen, this exercise scenario tests Misawa's Emergency Management program in a time of crisis. 

Real-world responders are at the heart of the 35th Fighter Wing's emergency management program and participate in all quarterly wing exercises. 

"We must integrate the effects of major accidents, natural disasters, conventional attacks and terrorist use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials in an exercise," said Capt. Benjamin Bartlett, Chief of Wing Inspections. Mass casualties, hazardous materials, munitions, off-base responses and material incidents are all part of the plan every quarter. 

"The Misawa emergency management program's primary mission is to save lives, minimize the loss and degradation of resources, and continue, sustain and restore operational capability in a physical threat environment," the Captain said. "Misawa must prescribe actions required to deal with consequences of actual events and to recover from those events." 

Props, fake blood and actors are used so the Exercise Evaluation Team can create "the fog and friction" of a real world emergency so reactions can be tested. 

"Units should make every attempt to react, during inspections, as they would during real-world operations," said the Captain. "Here, at Misawa we train like we fight." 

This training is also useful for the Unit Compliance Inspection the 35th Fighter Wing will have in November. 

"The PACAF Inspector General will challenge the wing with a similar situation during the inspection and we will be well prepared," he said. "The wing should feel confident in knowing they have such a competent group of professionals ready to respond to any emergency situation."