Fire-Rescue News- RESCUE WORKERS PERFORM AIRCRAFT COLLISION SIMULATION
LOWER TOWNSHIP-- A mid–air collision, that is what sent rescue workers rushing to a crash site in search of survivors. Early reports say the crash involved two single engine planes. Fortunately it was all just a drill. "Today we are doing an exercise on....Continue Reading
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a two plane collision," said Villas Fire Company’s Assistant Fire Chief Richard Harron.
"It was time for us to get back and train in the certain aspects of the mid–air collision and plane crash," said Town Bank Fire Company’s Assistant Chief Tony Franco.
In the Villas section of Lower Township rescue workers from around Cape May County, and the State Forest Fire Service, all worked together on an exercise that they feel is vital. "Last year I believe there was 4 or 5 plane crashes up in Upper Township. We just want to be prepared in the event that it happens here," said Villas Fire Chief Rich Harron Jr.
"The drills we do are mostly hands on, very extensive. We like to do different things," said Franco. Those involved say the training session took about a month to prepare. Setting up debris fields, smoke, damaged planes and even a mobile command center. It’s all to make today as close to an actual emergency as possible.
"From there we branched out, we setup different teams to go out and look for the planes and do a search. In the end we found the planes, found the victims," said Richard Harron.
After searching for a lost victim and clearing the crash site, rescue workers declared this practice run a success. It's preparation that these firefighters hope they don't ever have to use, but now have just in case.
"Just to build a confidence level with doing this training and trying to perform a rescue effectively, safely and efficiently," said Richard Harron.
