White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan- The crews stationed at Naval Facility Okinawa recently had a chance to flex their emergency response muscles.
A mock plane crash was held last Wednesday, and although the scene was a bit chaotic and hectic, all units involved in the drill responded well. As smoke billowed out from a plane that was designated a crashed U.S. Navy aircraft, two ?killed? crew and three others that were supposedly injured completed the reenactment.
Nearby, as part of the drill, several civilians were designated as having been struck by flying debris from the crash.
This was the third emergency drill since 2005 under a joint agreement with the Island of Okinawa and the United States Navy, to make sure that the emergency forces know how to work together in an emergency.
More than 100 members of the local Okinawa emergency response teams participated, and an equal amount of U.S. Military emergency responders and military personnel also took part. This was the first time that U.S. Military emergency responders participated in the drill.
Under the joint guidelines, the Okinawa police and responders have increased authority regarding the perimeter of any crash site, and the site itself is sharing authority with the U.S. Military and civilian forces.