Fort Rucker partners with Wiregrass agencies for emergency training

Those visiting Fort Rucker last week may have not only experienced delays at the gate, but also witnessed a few unusual sights on post. Smoke in the sky, groups of evacuees and first responders tending to mannequins on the ground were all key parts of Fort Rucker’s annual Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection Exercise, an emergency training event conducted over the past week. 

Fort Rucker partnered with national, statewide and local agencies including American Red Cross, FEMA and neighboring public safety, police and sheriff’s departments to conduct the emergency training, which responded to the simulated scenario of an explosion inside a building. The operation, dubbed “Autumn Thunder,” gave security and public safety units the opportunity to practice responding to a mass-casualty incident.

After the simulated bomb explosion, units were tasked with evacuating casualties from a barracks building, securing the area and installation and tending to those wounded or dead. 

Col. Stuart McRae, Fort Rucker garrison commander, said the exercise is designed to help Fort Rucker and Wiregrass agencies improve their partnerships and respond as a team to emergency events. 

“We have a fantastic relationship with all of our local municipalities and areas,” McRae said. “Working through emergency plans like this, one, we can see where there are any friction points, not between people, but on processes, and what we can do better.”

The last full-scale force protection exercise, conducted in 2012, required teams to react to the threat of a dirty bomb while simultaneously responding to reports of an active on-post shooter, forcing units to handle two dangerous events at the same time.

McRae said such training events prepare safety, security and emergency responders for the unexpected nature of real-life hazards and emergencies, varying from natural disasters like hurricanes to immediate dangers such as active shooters.

“We want to train for the most prolific (events) you could face,” McRae said. “We want people who don’t normally get exercised in these things to be able to practice their craft,” he said. “When the emergency occurs is not the time to be rolling out your practices for the first time. We try to craft exercises so that there are roles for every individual, so that everyone gets training from it.”

While the exercise provides critical on-scene training, one of the most important aspects of the event is the after-action review, McRae said. Evaluators from other installations observed the event to grade the exercise and give feedback to those involved.

McRae said the evaluation process will span several weeks, and will provide leaders with a thorough review of how the incident was handled and what areas of response could be improved, as well as a report of any crucial errors. 

“We’ve learned a number of lessons from emergency operations,” he said. “There is (Army) doctrine in place as to how you react to things and best practices, and we want to make sure we are current on those.”