Preparing for any situation
July 31, 2010
By Joint Task Force-National Scout Jamboree Public Affairs
, Pfc. Sharmain T. Burch
Fort A. P. Hill, Va. -- The exercise scenario for the July 23 exercise began with a simulated 9-1-1 call to the Fort A.P. Hill fire department. Within minutes sounds of sirens growing louder in the distance, alarming that an emergency warranted their attention, firemen and ambulances arrived on the scene of a two-car crash.
Reacting fast, the fire fighters coordinated their efforts to exhaust flames that erupted from the hood of one of the collided cars. But their mission was not complete as a passenger remained trapped inside the burning vehicle. The fighters remained calm and worked diligently as their tact and skill was put to the test.
The test was to prepare first responders that will respond to an emergency during the National Boy Scout Jamboree and the celebration of BSA's 100th anniversary.
Joint Task Force National Scout Jamboree, medics from the Civil Engineer Squadron, military police investigators and the Fort A.P. Hill Fire Department were tasked in an exercise "Fiery Car Crash" that challenged their ready aptness to respond to an emergency.
"We need to test the response capabilities of the Joint Task Force and for the other emergency supporters for the Boy Scouts during the jamboree", said Courney Brewerton, a Joint Task Force exercise control coordinator.
The 9-1-1 call was merely an exercise that assimilated the worse possible scenario that emergency responders may face. The two-car collision was a scene played out with fake blood and severe injuries but the effort to fuse a team was as real as it gets.
"Everybody has to work together", said Staff Sgt. Tammy D. Deherrera, an MPI tasked with the Fort A.P. Hill responders. "We hope for the best but prepare for the worst."