GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls International Airport turned into the site of a large-scale emergency response drill Thursday as crews carried out a federally mandated simulation designed to test how first responders would react to a mass-casualty incident at the airport.
Aneesa Coomer reports - watch the video:
The Assistant Airport Director for Operations and Maintenance, Brian Cowles, says, “Any time we would have an event here at the airport, it’s going to require a joint effort from the entire community to get it taken care of.”
The Federal Aviation Administration requires commercial airports to conduct a full-scale emergency exercise every three years. For Great Falls, that meant coordinating a multi-agency response involving airport staff, the Montana Air National Guard, local fire departments, law enforcement, medical teams, and community volunteers.
Volunteers were assigned injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening, giving first responders a chance to practice triage, diagnosis, and transporting patients to local hospitals. The simulation included emergency radio traffic on multiple frequencies, emergency vehicles operating on the airfield, and a controlled fire.
One responder taking part in the simulation was Graydon Irish, a Lieutenant for the Black Eagle Fire Department. Irish says, “Getting to test my EMS skills and practice triage - that we don't get to do all the time. It's not very common to have mass casualty incidents. It allows us to interface a little bit into the airport, and some of our newer members or younger members that haven't been around this can see kind of how the airport fire department operates and how to integrate with them.”
Emergency medical personnel worked to stabilize and move patients quickly, part of what airport officials say is critical in a real disaster. Cowles explains, “We want to see where our deficiencies are. Are we reaching patients quickly enough, diagnosing them correctly, and transporting critical cases where they need to go?”
Montana Air National Guard Fire Captain Nicholaus Schwall added that the joint drill is about more than meeting federal requirements, saying, “An exercise like this allows us to plan better, figure out how to respond quicker, and give the public the best response possible.”
Officials emphasized that while the FAA requires the drill, its purpose is to ensure Great Falls is ready if a real emergency occurs.
