PENDLETON — Around 50 students gathered on a practice field next to Pendleton High School to watch as a Chinook helicopter landed and Pendleton Fire Department firefighters and paramedics ran an emergency rescue simulation with Oregon Army National Guard troops.

Four classes watched the landing and live simulation on a recent Wednesday morning and students during later classes could tour the inside of the aircraft, talking to the guard troops as well as the firefighter/paramedics.

Members of the guard called “mayday” in their CH-47F transport helicopter, prompting a response from Pendleton Fire upon receipt of the call. This was the second year the two agencies have coordinated this kind of training at the high school.

Interagency cooperation

Charles Neveau, a chief warrant officer third class with the National Guard, said the simulation tests the fire department’s ability to get into a helicopter and rescue the occupants. It also offers an opportunity for the guard to connect with PHS students.

“We just want everybody to know we’re here, up at the airport,” Neveau said of what he hoped students would take away from the event. “We do a lot of stuff locally and there’s opportunities with us.”

Pendleton Fire’s Avery Deutz said he and his fellow firefighter/paramedics didn’t know exactly what was going on ahead of time, so it was closer to a real-life scenario, but the team recently toured the aircraft at the National Guard base near the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport.

Still, he said it’s different touring it than trying to rescue people out of it. The troops each had cards that described how critically they were injured so the paramedics could triage accordingly.

After the simulation, the firefighters and the National Guard troops discussed how the training went. They asked questions of one another, discussed what they could have or would have done differently if the situation were real or if they did it again, and talked about the lines of communication between their agencies.

“We try to do that with every major training so we can learn from other people’s points of view,” Deutz said. “It went well. We communicated clearly and met the objectives in an orderly fashion and nobody got hurt.”

Student learning opportunities

The school was happy to have the guard and paramedics use their field for the simulation as it offered an opportunity for students to watch them work in real time and talk to representatives and learn more about the career paths. The guard kept the big chopper at the school for the rest of the school day.

“We want kids having awareness of different careers available to them,” PHS Vice Principal Curt Thompson said, “and it’s just fun. It’s a unique opportunity.”

Having firefighter/paramedics and troops with the National Guard present and answering questions after the simulation offered a chance to “expose students to a variety of different careers,” he said. Health and military sciences, engineering and careers classes either watched the simulation or toured the aircraft and met the firefighters.

Some students were excited to try on the firefighters’ gear and honk the horn of the ambulance. Others were more interested in the helicopter

One senior, Madisynne Sterling, 18, was in a free period during the simulation. She said she attended because she loves anything to do with planes, and her father, now retired, served in the military. Watching it reminded her of her dad, she said, and she stayed long enough to tour the inside of the helicopter, which she described as huge but more crowded inside than she expected.

“I wouldn’t want to drive it, but would definitely want to ride in one,” she said.

Ella Guenther, 18, a senior, is a second-year aerospace engineering student at the high school and attended the simulation for class.

Guenther said she loved seeing it up close. As the helicopter landed, it blew dust and grass into the audience’s faces, mussing people’s hair and causing some people to adjust their stances against the strong winds.

“This is the most exciting thing we get to do, seeing all the things we’ve been talking about in action,” she said. “It’s hands-on learning.”