Airport hosts active shooter drill

As 147 people prepared to board a direct flight to Wendover, Nev., for long weekend of fun Saturday afternoon, airport and emergency management officials prepared for a situation everyone hopes won't ever happen.

The Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport hosted an emergency response drill for several agencies, using an active-shooter scenario to test agencies' preparedness. The airport solicited volunteers to play the role of passengers caught up in the gunfire, some of whom ultimately needing treatment for injuries. According to airport manager Devon Brubaker, the airport hosts an emergency drill every three years.

"It's a great learning opportunity," Brubaker said.

Lt. Rich Fischer, operating the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office's mobile command vehicle, said their role was to provide assistance and backup to the Rock Springs Police Department, while also providing a mobile command post for the operation.

Karla Roich from Sweetwater County Public Health said her organization was also on hand to provide support for the scenario, as well as monitor and provide a "hot wash" of the scenario, reviewing what went right or wrong and how to improve.

For Jim Wamsley, Rock Springs Fire Department chief, the scenario gives the fire department a chance to see how they fit in with a hazardous environment like the aftermath of a shooting. He said each group of emergency responders has a risk tolerance and that tolerance is higher for some responders in certain situations.

Using an example of a burning building, he said emergency medical services would not enter the building to save a person's life, but a firefighter would. He said the department responds to six or seven calls a day, many of which are not involved with fighting fires. Those calls may involve assisting someone who fell and cannot get back up, a hazardous materials spill and other situations. He said the role of the fire department has changed in the past several decades, where fires are only one part of the department's responsibilities and now have a much wider scope than simply fighting a fire.

Shortly before the scenario started, volunteers at the airport donned protective head gear because the exercise would involve the use of a real handgun and special plastic rounds to simulate gunfire. Volunteers were told the rounds can be painful if struck by one and they're capable of injuring a person's eyes.

Despite the heavy tone for the actual scenario, some volunteers remained light-hearted minutes prior to the event. For Green River residents Kurt and Will Allen, the event offered an opportunity for the two to see how a response would be made in an active shooter situation, as well as playfully rib each other beforehand.

"If you die, just know I love you and I regret not insuring you," Kurt told his son.

"I would not like to see that," Will said about being shot. "That would not be great -- that would be the opposite of great."

Kurt said he was interested because he has participated in drills at Solvay, but had not seen a drill outside the plant. He said Will became interested in the event after reading a call for volunteers from the airport, deciding to sign up afterward. Once the shooting began, Will hid in a rental car office, shutting and locking the door before anyone else could come in.

People acting injured after the shooting were transported by ambulance to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County where they received treatment. According to Deb Sutton, marketing and public relations director for Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, the hospital's portion of the scenario involved the treatment of people injured by gunshot wounds. Eight people were taken to the hospital, four of which were listed in critical condition. Sutton said the scenario helps the hospital gage its response in its emergency room while giving staff a chance to review how its chain of command works to provide the best care possible.

"It's an amazing process, everyone does their job," Sutton said.

She said the hospital was fortunate to not be busy during the scenario, giving staff a better chance to work through the scenario.