On Tues., Oct. 8th, a decontamination drill was held at the Redfield Airport and Community Memorial Hospital. The drill was for just-in-case preparedness in the event of a chemical contamination.
The scenario was: a small plane had to make an emergency landing at Redfield Airport. While landing, the plane crashed into a semi truck. This caused a chemical spill. The pilot and a passenger were stuck in the plane. Other passengers wandered about, dazed. The truck driver was injured.

The drill followed protocol. A call was made to dispatch. An officer acted as the first responder, and did a basic check on the passengers. Soon, firetrucks and ambulances appeared at the airport. Fully suited firefighters, as well as emergency workers in hazmat suits were quickly on the scene. More medical staff waited to load patients into the ambulances.After the basic assessment, the passengers had to be decontaminated because of the chemical spill (scenario). Hazmat-suited emergency responders helped ambulating passengers to remove their clothes and put them in plastic bags. The passengers were put in gowns. The passengers who were not able to walk to the shower were carefully placed on backboard and carried. The shower was set up a little bit away from the crash site. Passengers had to stand under it for their initial decontamination. A couple of the passengers were lying strapped to backboards for this. After the soap-and-water shower, each passenger was placed into an ambulance and taken to Community Memorial Hospital to be fully assessed.
The patients varied in age, down to a toddler. Information specialist Jessica Muellenburg of CMH said that this was important so that responders could have experience dealing with a small child, who could be harder to grab onto in an emergency situation. The patients, including the first responding officer, had various complaints. In the scenario, 1 sustained serious injuries and had to take a Careflight to Sioux Falls. The others were assessed at CMH. Inside the ambulance bay at CMH, an intake center was set up. This consisted of another shower which the responders in hazmat suits, as well as the passengers, had to walk through. A couple of passengers were picked up and taken to the hospital by a bystander. This spread the contamination to another person. A separate shower was set up for the walk-ins. After this, everyone was treated in the emergency department.
Muellenburg said that they’d like to do this drill every year. She said that around 20 of the emergency staff had received special decontamination training. But the exercise was an all-hands-on-deck situation. Once the patients had been decontaminated, workers in the hospital would see to them.
Muellenburg said “The overall experience was a great learning opportunity for everyone involved. Many opportunities came to surface as the drill unfolded, which is why we do drills. We want to thank everyone involved. Training is so important, so that we can better serve our community.”
The drill was a joint effort by Community Memorial Hospital and Redfield Clinic, Redfield Fire Department, Spink County Emergency Management, Spink County Sheriff’s Department, Spink County Ambulance, and Avera Careflight. Volunteers acted as passengers. The plane was provided by the Appel family. The semi and driver were from Wilbur-Ellis.
The wellbeing of the responders was also noted. The hazmat suits could only be worn for a set amount of time, as that was all the airflow allowed. Also, responders would get hot in the suits. Responders had to have their own vitals checked at the hospital.