In a flurry of radio calls and a mess of emergency lights, almost 40 first responders descended on Southwest Oregon Regional Airport.
The Wednesday evening rush to North Bend was for a mass casualty simulation, which the Federal Aviation Administration requires once every three years. “The two years previous are table tops and on the third year, the FAA mandates we have a full scale response to a simulated aircraft accident,” said Bob Hood, best known as a local hero for saving the life of Isaiah Metzger and serving as the chief of the Bandon Rural Fire District/SORA Dive Team. However, on Wednesday he was working as the airport’s operations manager. “I’m in charge of the airport’s rescue firefighting part of this,” Hood explained.