Herc Down at Smoky Hill Weapons Range

Saline County Emergency Management officials notified local fire and rescue districts that an Air Force plane crashed at Smoky Hill Weapons Range at approximately 8 a.m. Sept. 12. Several districts arrived on scene shortly after the call and found simulated plane parts scattered around the crash site. The flames were quickly extinguished. (Photo by Senior Airman Lauren Penney, 184th Public Affairs)

Herc Down at Smoky Hill Weapons Range

Firefighters from local districts spray burning objects littering the fields where a simulated C-130 “Hercules” crashed at Smoky Hill Weapons Range Sept. 12. Range personnel prepared the crash site with large burn pits which created a high degree of realism during the exercise. (Photo by Senior Airman Lauren Penney, 184th Public Affairs)

Herc Down at Smoky Hill Weapons Range

A first responder guides a Salina-based Lifeteam helicopter onto a makeshift landing zone close to a C-130 crash site during a major accident response exercise hosted at Smoky Hill Weapons Range. The helicopter landed long enough to load a crash survivor and then transported him to a local medical facility. (Photo by Master Sgt. Matt McCoy, 184th Public Affairs)

Training for the worst

Published Sept. 29, 2015
By Master Sgt. Matt McCoy
184th Intelligence Wing Public Affairs

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan -- An Air Force C-130 "Hercules" crashed while performing weed mitigation operations at Smoky Hill Weapons Range, near Salina, Sept. 12. Two crewmembers were killed on impact while another crewmember was critically injured. The crash also resulted in a hazardous material spill of 10,000 pounds of herbicide ejected from the plane.

Fortunately, this was only an exercise.

The scenario was part of a major accident response exercise which allowed Air National Guard and active-duty Air Force personnel to work with civilian first responders. All parties gained experience in the roles they would play in the event of a real-world accident.

"One thing we learned is that we actually work really well together," said Maj. Bobby Campbell, range safety officer, Smoky Hill Weapons Range. "I think everybody learned something."

The main objectives were to test Smoky Hill Weapons Range incident response procedures, coordinate with local emergency response agencies and build relationships with emergency management departments.

"What we were trying to accomplish was the relationship-building piece between all the different agencies working together and get to know the guys. That way, when they get out to the range, they know what to expect," said Campbell.

As the exercise unfolded, firefighters from local districts sprayed burning objects that simulated airplane parts scattered across the range. The Saline County Sheriff's Office, joined by firefighters, conducted a search and recovery mission. Once they found the survivor, firefighters stabilized the critically injured Airman and transported him to a landing zone where a medical helicopter was waiting. A team from Salina also arrived to clean up the hazardous chemical spill.

"There was a lot of realism that was added to [the exercise] thanks to the guys at Smoky who lit the fires and got all of the positions set up," said Hannah Stambaugh, director, Saline County Emergency Management.

The civilian agencies also learned how they would operate on a federal installation.

"Before this exercise, there were a lot of questions as far as 'Once we get on range, who's in charge?' Or 'What can I do and what can't I do?'" said Stambaugh. "I think we really squashed that today."