SC State Guard hosts the state’s largest mass casualty training drill

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The state’s largest mass casualty drill “Operation Eagle Angel” is underway.

The South Carolina State Guard, the United States Air Force and other emergency first responder and volunteer agencies are coming together for the first time on this large of a scale for training exercises to prepare for any sort of disaster, like a hurricane or a tornado.

Between 500-600 people will be sleeping, eating and training at the North Auxiliary Airfield in Orangeburg County for the next four days to bring further safety and security to the people of South Carolina.

The South Carolina State Guard says their mission is to respond to disasters when the Governor and military call for their help. The officers say they’ve been planning for this for about a year.

On Thursday, they are setting up different training exercises that they’ll conduct Friday through Sunday. An example of this could be them responding to a hurricane. However, the communication system goes down and they have to find an alternative source.

These officers will be working closely on their communication, medical training and overall operations.

Michael Langston, deputy commander of the S.C. State Guard, says this weekend is not a pass or fail exercise, but it’s a way to evaluate what went right and how they can fix what went wrong in the future.

“Alongside of us are all these other agencies that have not done this type of exercise together in the state of South Carolina,” Langston said. “So, we’re bringing all the assets together of the state and we’re flexing them to a degree and learning how to work with each other.”

This operation will conclude June 4.

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