TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. —
The 60th Air Mobility Wing Inspection Team conducted an annual natural disaster response exercise at Travis AFB, July 17.
This annual training exercise at Travis AFB tested readiness and effective response to natural disasters, specifically a high-magnitude earthquake, which resulted in a simulated fuel spill.
“It’s extremely important that this kind of training is conducted regularly because changes in personnel constantly occur, and regular training ensures everybody is being familiarized with emergency response procedures regarding fuel discharges,” said Elliot Sung, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron environmental engineer.
Elliot also added that it’s also important to exercise the worst-case discharge because it prevents complacency by presenting such a challenging situation.
During the exercise, a simulated 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Travis AFB, causing extensive infrastructure damage and releasing 4.2 million gallons of fuel from storage tanks. The simulated spilled fuel quickly spread to the water treatment facility, contaminating nearby water sources. The faux earthquake also disrupted critical operations, including communication systems and transportation networks, significantly impacting the base’s functionality.
“Overall, I believe the exercise was highly successful,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jo’hnoi Lemonius, 60th AMW inspection team manager. “The goal was to train as we would operate in a real-world situation. By having all the involved organizations carry out their tasks, we were able to identify numerous issues that could potentially hinder us in an actual scenario.”
