Clinton, Md. –
Prince George’s County personnel and Joint Base Andrews members, came together as the first response team for the F-16C Fighting Falcon incident in Clinton, Md., April 5, 2017.
“JBA is an integral part of Prince George’s County,” said Mark Brady, Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department public information officer. “Due to activity on and off base with military personnel, we find it important that we have open communication and relationships so we can share resources and gather information if need be.”
Some of the organizations that contributed to the incident command system, an on-scene management plan, were the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department and emergency management, the 11th Wing Security Forces Squadron and 11th Wing Civil Engineer Squadron.
“Since we’re off-base, it’s a joint effort and we’ve been interacting with Prince George County Police Department,” said Staff Sgt. Timothy Green, 811th Security Forces Squadron area supervisor. “They’ve been great working side-by-side with us.”
The incident occurred during a routine training mission when the D.C. Air National Guard aircraft crashed in a wooded area, six miles southwest from JBA. There were no casualties and the aircraft carried only the pilot, who ejected and sustained non-life threatening injuries.
JBA and Prince George’s County responded quickly after receiving word of the crash and promptly secured the site.
“Prince George’s County continues to support us with anything we ask of them,” said Maj. Duane Peterson, 113th Wing recovery operations chief. “We’ve been working very closely with the county’s emergency management office. They’ve been incredibly cooperative and have helped us navigate the various ways that will allow us to recover this site. I really can’t say enough about how well this community has worked with JBA.”
The partnerships led to a number of accomplished tasks including cordon setup, security, safety, transportation, a press conference, and a town hall meeting.
Local citizens even pitched in to assist first responders. Residents brought out coffee, lawn chairs and even welcomed military members into their homes for facility usage.
“The community has been incredibly supportive, given the circumstances,” said Peterson. “They’ve fed us and allowed us to use their power. Hopefully we can pay the community back by fully restoring the site and getting out of here as quickly as possible.”
More than 80 Air Force members and Prince George’s County officials were out at the accident site supporting scene facilitation.
After all the evidence is collected by the Safety Investigation Board, investigative control of the site will be transferred to the Accident Investigation Board. They will help determine the cause or fault of the incident and provide a report for public release.
“Our on-base and off-base partners were stellar and seamless,” said Col E. John Teichert, 11th Wing and JBA commander. “Furthermore, our friends, neighbors, and colleagues in Prince George’s County proved, yet again, why we are fortunate to be a part of their community.”