DEVELOPING A MULTIAGENCY TABLETOP EXERCISE
David Y. Whitaker
Memphis Fire Department
Memphis International Airport
Memphis International
Airport
FAR 139 Tabletop
Exercise 2004
Administrative Issues
Cell-phone, radio, and pager etiquette
Laser pointers
Breaks
Restrooms
Smoking areas
Refreshments
Agenda
0800-0900
0910-0930
0930-1130
1130-1200
Opening Remarks
Introductions
Guest Speakers
Tabletop Introduction
Virtual Tabletop
Closing Remarks &
Questions
Introductions:
Name
Title
Organization
Review of the AEP
 Clarity
of current plans, policies,
and/or procedures.
 Consistency of plans, policies,
and/or procedures across
agencies or jurisdictions.
 Determining who has the
authority to take a specific action
(e.g., order an evacuation) or the
procedure required to act.
Review of the AEP (cont.)
 Adequacy
of coordination or
cooperation between agencies.
 Sharing of information among
agencies.
 Ensuring that the AEP has been
updated or new policies or
procedures have been developed
to address new issues.
Tabletop Introduction
 Training-based
tabletop which
will include a review of current
procedures.
 Audience – Please follow along
in the AEP.
 More than one annex of the
AEP may be used at any given
time.
Tabletop Introduction (cont.)
 Time
shifting will be used.
 Scenario information may be
incomplete.
 Debates will be held to a
minimum.
 Inter-agency coordination is
strongly recommended.
Tabletop Introduction (cont.)

Laser pointers may been used
when the left screen displays an
overhead image.
 Everyone

may participate!
Questions?
Weather
Heavy rains in the past week.
 Current conditions: Light thunderstorms
with light to moderate rain.
 Winds SW @ 15 knots gusting to 25.
 Temperature: 45 degrees.

Friday, 5:20 PM
 Evening bank of air carrier
arrivals has just started.
 Runways 18R and 18L are used
for arrivals.
 Runways 18C and 27 are being
used for air cargo and military
departures.
5:20 PM
 There are already 3
international flights being
processed in the FIS.
 “Holiday weekend”
 Homeland Security Advisory
System:
High Threat - “Level Orange”
Initial Notification
5:25 pm
 French Air Flight #2004 was
en-route from Paris (CDG) to
Dallas –Forth Worth (DFW)
when several passengers
became combative with the
flight attendants. The a/c was
40 miles north of MEM at
30,000 feet.
Emergency Request
5:28 PM
 The
pilots are unable to contact
any flight attendants and they are
hearing lots of screaming from the
main cabin to include several
passengers shouting in a foreign
language.
 The only thing that is understood is
several people screaming “AZF!”
 French
Air #2004 requested emergency
landing from FAA ATC.
Descends at 3000 feet and is cleared to
land on Runway 18R.
Flight Info
 French
Air #2004 has 260 SOB’s
(2 pilots, 8 flight attendants and
250 passengers)
 French Air #2004 is an A340-200
with 2 hours fuel remaining.
 French Air has an alliance with a
local airline but there are no
international gates available.
Combative Passengers
 FAA
/ ATC
 Airport Communications
 Airport Police
 Airport Operations
 FBI
 TSA
 Airline
Mayday
 FAA
Tower Controller attempts
several times to contact French Air
Flight #2004 but there is no
response.
 A/C continues on course to
Runway 18R.
 There is no change in transponder
codes.
5:32 PM
Disposition
View from Station 40
5:34pm
MFD (Station #40) first on scene at 5:34pm
 Airport Ops on scene at 5:35pm
 Airport Police and ARFF units on scene at
5:37pm

No one is able to contact the pilots.
Emergency slides have been deployed on
the right side of the a/c.
Egress is slow due to the winds and the
evacuated passengers are very disoriented.
SERP
Hazards
Construction Material – Aluminum,
Titanium, Magnesium, Plastic,
Rubber, Composites, ect.
Biological – Body Parts, medical
shipments, chemicals
Haz-Mat – Jet Fuel, Dangerous
Goods
Safety
 Personal
Protective Equipment; SCBA,
Proximity, Chemical, or Structural Suits.
 Personnel
and Equipment
Accountability; Report thru IMS, no
freelancing.
 Two-In
/ Two-Out; OSHA Requirement,
5:41 PM
 Paramedics
 EMT’s
start triage.
advise Mother will not
leave Incident area. She is
searching for her lost child.
Medical
 1st
Ambulance
 2nd Ambulance
 3rd Ambulance
 4th Ambulance
 5th Plus
M.C./Triage
Triage
Treatment
Transport
Transporting
METTAG
•Priority I
•Critical, in need of immediate care /
transport
•Priority II
•Serious, but care and transport is
delayed until AFTER all Priority I’s are
transported.
METTAG (cont.)
• Priority III
• Emergency transportation is not
necessary
• Priority 0
• Move to morgue after all viable
souls have been treated and
transported.
M
E
T
T
A
G
S
Heliport
 Level
to within 10*
 300’ from Patient Location
 Day 100’ x 100’
 Night 200’ x 200’
 One light on each corner and 5th in
wind
6:02 PM
 Medical
advises Command that
there are 170 casualties:
Priority 1 – 40
Priority 2 – 60
Priority 3 – 70
6:11 PM
 90
Fatalities:
 10 crew members
 71 passengers in the main cabin
 9 occupants of vehicles
6:15 PM
 Thunderstorms
have started.
 Evacuation is complete.
 All of the fires have been
suppressed.
 Airport Command Center is
opened with minimal staffing.
Mass Casualty
 Airport
Communications
 Airport Operations
 Memphis Fire Department
 Airport Police
 EMA
 Memphis Police
 Mutual Aid - Law Enforcement
 Mutual Aid - Fire Department
Mass Casualty (cont.)
 Airline
 FBI
 Customs
and Border Protection
 Airport Maintenance
 Media / Public Relations
 Hospitals / Hospital Wing
 American Red Cross
 FAA / NTSB
6:03 PM
 All
of the major networks are at the
corner of Shelby Drive and
Airways Blvd and are requesting
access to the scene.
 Several news choppers are
attempting to over fly the accident.
 Local news media want a briefing
on the cause of the accident.
6:05 PM
 Approximately
1000 gallons of Jet
A have leaked from the right wing
onto Shelby Drive.
 An unknown quantity of Jet A may
have entered the storm water drains
on Shelby Drive along with the
rainwater.
6:08 PM
 News
media and concerned
citizens have overwhelmed the
Airport Communications Center
phone lines rendering them
unusable for outgoing calls.
 Cell sites in the area have been
overwhelmed by usage. Cellular
phones become unusable on scene.
6:15 PM
 Several
clergyman are attempting
to access the scene to provide “last
rites” to the victims.
6:30 PM
 Local
Airline Management briefs
the ACC that they are setting up a
Family Assistance Center for
French Air.
“Golden Hour”
 Opportunity
to minimize early and
late deaths in the hour following
the trauma by aggressive
resuscitation and surgical
intervention.
 5:32pm – 6:32 pm
 40 Priority 1’s triaged, transported
and medical treatment started?
6:35 PM
 Rescue
workers are complaining of
dehydration, hunger and a number
of them are emotionally distraught.
 Many of the walking wounded are
emotionally distraught. Some of
the walking wounded are delirious
since they cannot locate family
members.
6:55 PM
Medical advises they needs French
speaking interpreter to
communicate with injured Patients.
8:30 PM
The Medical Examiner has released
the 90 fatalities for transport.
 Removal
 Morgue
of deceased victims
Review AEP



New procedures for TSA
New procedures for handling fires
at fuel storage areas
Updated contact and resource info
Questions?
Comments?
Last Thought….
The world is a dangerous place to live,
not because of the people who are evil,
but because of the people who don’t do
anything about it.
Albert Einstein
DEVELOPING A MULTIAGENCY TABLETOP EXERCISE
David Y. Whitaker
Memphis Fire Department
Memphis International Airport