Exercise tests MCAS co-op

Story by Lance Cpl. Graham J. Benson

Air station personnel held a joint training exercise with local emergency response services on station and at the railroad tracks near South Avenue 3E, Feb. 3, 2010.

Full-Scale Exercise Operation Desert Eagle 2010 offered units across the station, as well as their counterparts in the local community, an opportunity to assess their ability to respond to a chemical, nuclear or biological attack and coordinate their responsibilities together.

A chlorine leak from a nearby faulty railroad car was used as the simulated emergency for the exercise. Chlorine can be fatal in large amounts.

"This potentially could be a very dangerous situation," said Robert Bavier, Union Pacific Railroad hazardous materials response officer. "Chlorine, because of its density as a vapor, will stay very concentrated over a large area and it also stays at ground level, which is obviously not what you want in a populated area."

Role-players on station provided emergency responders an opportunity to test their chemical response treatment skills as well.

An emergency operations center was set up on station, with various station personnel contributing to lead the response and containment efforts, said Charles Richardson, exercise manager.

In all, ten non-military government agencies were involved in the exercise including the Arizona department of transportation, Yuma police and fire departments and the FBI's joint terrorism task force, along with 13 station commands.

"This is a terrific opportunity for networking between the agencies," said Sgt. Clint Norred, Yuma Police Department public information officer. "It's very helpful to know a familiar face and point of contact when it does happen for real."

The exercise lasted more than four hours, and the participants all took part in an after action review to evaluate their performance throughout the operation.

"This is the station's best performance in the six years I've been here as directory," said Richardson.