Drill a success: It could someday be the real thing: Bodies were strewn across the field. A deep red oozed from white gauze bandages. Some lay quietly, later they would be pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. A damaged head nodded from the hot sun. Others peered into the distance for sight of the rescue squads and ambulances. It was the worst air disaster in Canton’s history. Wednesday afternoon, in a landing attempt at Ingersoll Airport, a twin-engine plane crashed, flinging its 18 passengers across the adjacent field. The plane was in flames. A call went into the canton Fire Department and the action began. “Remember your injuries,” called out a woman from the edge of the field. The sounds of sirens echoed across the horizon,. Police cars, ambulances, rescue vehicles roared to the airport and the Canton ESDA (Civil Defense) simulated disaster drill was on. In the next half hour, rescue workers loaded victims onto stretchers, trudging across the field to waiting ambulances and trucks. Each victim had a card detailing injuries. Broken limbs, internal injuries, delirium, all were part of the scene. However, fantasy came within the boundaries of reality when one of the last volunteer victims to be transported, Dulcie Harwick, was overcome by heat. Rescue squad workers who hovered over Mrs. Harwick’s dramatized injuries realized the woman’s acting had turned into reality. “Call an ambulance. This is not part of the drill,” repeated the rescue worker over the walkie talkie he carried. She was taken to Graham Hospital, treated and released. The drill is a semi-annual event for Canton’s ESDA and Graham Hospital. Designed to give police, fire, rescue and hospital personnel experience in handling disasters, the drill was pronounced a success by its organizers. “It went very well. It showed us our strengths and weaknesses,” Carmalee Ashwood, ESDA director said. Police were first at the scene, only four minutes after the 1 p.m. call went in. The Fire and Rescue unit followed a minute later, with Spoon River Ambulance pulling in two minutes after. By 1:25 p.m. the drill was over. The few remaining victims, got up from their stretchers and began peeling away their catsup-soaked bandages. A policeman walked across the field pulling sheets off those who had been pronounced dead. The deceased hopped up, shaking stiffness from legs and brushing grass off clothes. The last of the emergency vehicles began a quiet trip back to Canton. The city’s worst air disaster was over.
Captions: Testing disaster skills on the 18 victims of the mock air disaster were members of Canton emergency rescue units. Jean Travis of Canton ESDA, left, Chuck Hitchcock of Canton Fire Rescue and Alice Crumrine of Spoon River Ambulance came to the aid of volunteer victim Rosemary Rose of Graham Hospital School of Nursing. Victims seemed to be everywhere and emergency personnel were able to evaluate injuries from cards each volunteer had attached. Spoon River Ambulance personnel Carol Sexton and Dennis Weaver came to the aid of one volunteer victim. Canton Police were first on the scene at the air disaster drill held Wednesday afternoon at Ingersoll Airport. Darrell Rose evaluated the situation in the field near the landing strip. Daily Ledger photos by Lisa Beck.
