Airport's Mock Disaster Drill Unleashes Walking Wounded
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SUBSCRIBE AT dailymemphian.com www.chandlerreports.com Wednesday, October 17, 2018 MemphisDailyNews.com Vol. 133 | No. 202 Rack–50¢/Delivery–39¢ Sears store at Wolfchase Galleria to close TOM BAILEY filings show. address among the list of “Clos- shopping centers have antici- “It often takes 18 to 36 months Special to The Daily News A spokesman for the Wolf- ing Stores,’’ and also lists the sub- pated, and made contingency to backfill a typical department The Sears department store chase Galleria owner, Simon tenant Lands’ End. plans for, the closing of finan- store, but the complexity of this in Wolfchase Galleria is among Property Group, declined com- Sears operates a cially distressed Sears stores, bankruptcy filing will make the 142 Sears and Kmart stores ment and referred questions to 140,000-square-foot store on two recovering from the loss of such this less than typical,” states the that will close as a part of the new Sears. The bankruptcy docu- levels in Wolfchase, and owns a big tenant “will be a protracted CBRE MarketFlash report. bankruptcy filing by Sears Hold- ment available online includes that space. process,” states a national analy- ings Corp. early Monday, court the Wolfchase store’s Cordova While many malls and sis distributed by CBRE. SEARS CONTINUED ON P2 Administration requires a full-scale disaster exer- cise every three years. After a 2016 drill, airport of- Airport’s mock disaster drill ficials decided to have it every two years to sharpen emergency response procedures. “The main reason is making sure we’re continu- ally evaluating our disaster response plan,” said unleashes walking wounded airport spokesman Glen Thomas. “We felt that a three-year gap between exercises might not be as effective. It helps all the emergency responders to be up to date on their responsibilities, and espe- cially the non-airport responders.” It costs about $25,000 to conduct the exercise, Thomas said. The airport put out a call to schools across the region to supply volunteers. The 60-student senior class of Memphis Academy of Health Sci- ences turned out, along with paramedic students from Northwest Mississippi Community College and others. Airport employees staffed makeup stations, applying fake blood, burns and other trappings of bodily trauma to the students. Some received as- signments to act out – reactive psychosis, anyone? – and others were told to play dead. “Some of the students love it. The gorier the better,” said Lisa Spinelli, an airport executive assistant. Spinelli has gotten so proficient as a makeup artist during multiple airport exercises over the years that her family has taken notice. “I made up my son and my husband as zombies last Halloween,” she said. Out on the airfield, planes continued to take off and land on other runways while students laid out on the closed runway and a contractor, High- Tech Special Effects Inc., set off a series of blasts that sent up smoke and fireballs. Donna Dobro applies fake blood and other makeup on Dylan Price, 21, before an airport disaster drill at Memphis International An airport-based firefighting squad showed up Airport on Monday, Oct. 15. (Houston Cofield/Special to The Daily News) within four minutes to douse burning tire pieces, and paramedics tended to pretend victims within WAYNE RISHER A mass-casualty disaster exercise Runway 36L/18R from 7 a.m. to 2:30 10 minutes. Special to The Daily News featured 117 students, moaning, limp- p.m. Monday, began with explosions Thomas said the exercise two years ago was Zombies didn’t take over a run- ing and generally pouring on the the- and fireballs around 10:30 a.m., at- slightly more realistic, because a scrap aircraft way at Memphis International Air- atrics as they pretended to be victims tracting fire trucks and ambulances to was burned. port Monday morning, but it sure of an airliner crash landing. the airfield southwest of the terminal. looked like it. The mock disaster, which closed The Federal Aviation AIRPORT CONTINUED ON P3 INSIDE Columns ............................ 3 memphisdailynews.com chandlerreports.com Public Records ................ 4 ©2018 The Daily News Publishing Company A division of The Daily News Publishing Company Memphis, Tennessee The standard for premium real estate Established 1886 • 133rd year information since 1968 Public Notices .............. 12 Call 901.523.1561 to subscribe Call 901.458.6419 for more information Page 2 MemphisDailyNews.com Wednesday, October 17, 2018 Williams said. “When they give a statement under Garrity it can be released to TBI. The Memphis police union tells police association has to protect the rights of the officer.” Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings said MPD has no problem work- officers not to talk to TBI ing with TBI on investigations and MPD’s current policy does support officers making Garrity statements. “The practice has been in the past that the officer will make a Garrity statement OMER YUSUF and the Garrity statement is released to TBI Special to The Daily News and they move forward with their investiga- The Memphis Police Association is tion,” Rallings said. advising police officers not to talk to the TBI senior policy adviser and attorney Tennessee Bureau of Investigation when Jimmy Musice told the commission about the state agency is investigating officer- TBI’s available resources, but did not give involved shootings, the TBI was told Sun- I’m going to have the an opinion on the resolution. day. The advice includes police officers who utmost faith that my fellow Musice said 70 officer-involved shoot- witnessed shootings but are not involved. commissioners want to get it ings involving MPD officers or Shelby Coun- Shelby County Commissioners learned ty sheriff’s deputies occurred between 2013 this during a discussion Monday, Oct. 15, right and we’re going to go back County Commissioner Tami Sawyer co- to 2018, with 43 resulting in injury or death. about a joint resolution with the Memphis and have that discussion and get sponsored a joint resolution that calls “We worked 15 of those,” Musice said. City Council that would require the Shelby for state legislation requiring local law “The difference between that for us, just the County Sheriff’s Office and Memphis Police it right.” enforcement to request TBI investigate all injuries are 28 additional cases.” Department to request a TBI investigation –Tami Sawyer, County Commissioner officer-involved shootings. Commissioners Musice said TBI sends five to seven field for all deaths and critical injuries in officer- sent the resolution back to committee agents and five to six forensic scientists “ Monday. (Houston Cofield file/Special to The Daily News) involved incidents. to the scene. TBI has 11 field agents for 21 Commissioners sent the resolution back 3, but its co-sponsors – Commissioners counties in West Tennessee, Musice said. to committee Monday. Edmund Ford Jr., who also is a City Coun- “We want to do whatever the (Tennes- Johnny Simmons, special agent-in- cil member, and Tami Sawyer – came back going to go back and have that discussion see) General Assembly would like for us to charge for the Criminal Investigation Di- with several small amendments to the reso- and get it right.” do,” Musice said. “We just want to make vision for the West region of the TBI, said lution to match the wording featured in the Simmons said another challenge TBI sure we got the resources to have the cali- the police union’s advice not only applies city council’s resolution. faces in investigating officer-involved ber of work product that the public and to the officers involved in the incident but The changes to the resolution were shootings in Memphis are Garrity state- you expect.” also witnessing officers. enough for nine of the 13 commissioners ments – which are statements an officer Commissioners also referred back to “Things like that are going to make our to recommend sending it back to commit- can give as part of the administrative pro- committee a resolution that would rescind standard (of excellence) harder to achieve,” tee. Eddie Jones, Sawyer, Van Turner and cess but cannot be used in a criminal inves- former Mayor Mark Luttrell’s second letter Simmons said. Michael Whaley voted against referring the tigation unless the officer chooses to make requesting the U.S. Department of Justice Currently, the TBI investigates fatal resolution to committee. it available to TBI. end its oversight of Shelby County Juvenile shootings and deaths while in custody in- The resolution came to fruition after the Memphis Police Association President Court. volving MPD and the sheriff’s office under Sept. 17 officer-involved shooting of Marta- Mike Williams, who is the father of one of The commission had recom- a memorandum of agreement between vious Banks, who was critically wounded. the officers in the officer-involved shoot- mended passage of the resolution at the TBI and the district attorney general’s “I’m fine with it going back to commit- ing of Banks, said the officers are afforded its Oct. 3 committee session. Howev- office. tee,” Sawyer said. “At this point, I’m going to rights just like citizens. er, commissioners decided to send it The resolution was recommended at have the utmost faith that my fellow com- “Not that they’re trying to hide any- back to committee Monday to clarify the the commission’s committee meeting Oct. missioners want to get it right and we’re thing, but their rights have to be protected,” wording in one section. SEARS CONTINUED FROM P1 anniversary last year. It remains “It often takes 18 to 36 anchored by Macy’s, Dillards and The ease or difficulty in find- JC Penney. months to backfill a ing new tenants for the empty Wolfchase drew a lot of lo- Sears spaces will vary, depend- cal attention a couple of years typical department store, ing on the location, property, ago when it added the popular ownership and economics of the Cheesecake Factory restaurant.