DIA Turned Into Medical Disaster Zone For Training Exercise
DENVER (CBS4)- Part of Denver International Airport will be turned into a medical disaster zone on Wednesday to help crews train for a real life emergency on Wednesday.
More than 300 people from federal, state and local agencies will test their disaster skills at DIA for the regional disaster drill.
Wednesday's drill included those who would most likely contribute in a real disaster along with military helicopters and regional hospitals.
The drill will simulate the evacuation of victims from a large earthquake in the Salt Lake City area.
Emergency crews will set up a triage at the hangar at Signature Flight Support near DIA. They worked to transport about 150 patients to nine Denver metro area hospitals with ambulances and military helicopters.
Those patients suffer from a variety of different injuries.
"I have an eye injury so I'm in pain but not critical," said volunteer Jan Delsie.
The entire drill will take place over a period of about six hours.
The drill did not impact operations at DIA but passengers may have seen more activity surrounding the airport and in the air.
It's not often the crews have the chance to work together but it's extremely important they know how.
"What's difficult is always the communications and working with another agency that you're not normally working with, learning their processes and their language," said Supervisory Aircraft Instructor Pilot Troy Brown. "We hope to achieve efficiencies in preparedness and just getting to know people. We always say we don't want to start handing out business cards in the middle of a crisis."
This was the fifth year for the disaster drill.