By Alison McFerrin

The Selma Times-Journal

Authorities and citizens across Alabama are reeling after a plane crash in Marengo County near Demopolis killed seven members of a Florida family. This tragedy begs the question — what would happen if a similar situation happened in Selma or Dallas County?

“It really depends on location,” Craig Field Airport property manager and Craig Volunteer Fire Department Chief James Corley said. “Ideally all of them would crash at an airport.”

Corley said any plane crash becomes immediately more difficult if it doesn’t happen at the airport — like the Marengo County crash, which happened two miles from the airport in a densely wooded area.

“Probably half the crashes are not at an airport, they’re just out in the woods somewhere, basically,” Corley said. “The biggest problem is locating them if they just go down.”

But Corley said there are ways to locate a downed plane.

“The aircraft does have a transponder … Upon crashing, it is supposed to send out a signal, and it makes it a lot easier to pick it up,” Corley said.

Extensive training takes place in order to be ready for a situation where there is a plane crash, Corley said.

“Twice a year we have what we call live fire training,” Corley said. “We actually build a fire, go in with the fire trucks and actually apply the foam.”

Craig has two aircrafts, Corley said, that they use for these drills — a larger plane that is immoveable, and a smaller, older model Cessna, both of which are non-operational.

“We’re about as equipped as a volunteer fire department can be to put the fire out and hopefully make the rescue and get (the victims) medical attention,” Corley said. Other equipment the department has includes a thermal imaging scanner; proximity gear (highly reflective firefighting gear designed specifically for hot fires caused by fuel on aircrafts); and a rapid response vehicle with large quantities of extinguishing material.

However, the problem is when the plane doesn’t crash in a convenient location.

“A lot of times you can’t get the big fire trucks and stuff in there,” Corley said. “If they’re a mile deep in the woods, how are you going to get them out with the ambulance?”

Corley said air evacuation or four-wheelers may be used in such situations, but he added removing victims isn’t necessarily first priority.

“We would initiate a survey of all the medical conditions,” Corley said. “Sometimes it’s actually better to just leave the people in place.”

Because it can be dangerous to move a person with a serious injury, Corley said it is often better, if possible, to secure the situation so the victims don’t have to be moved multiple times.

“Our first priority will be what we call ‘safe aircraft,’” Corley said. “If we run in and kill ourselves, we’re not any good to anybody else.”

Corley said firefighters would make sure to eliminate as many risks as possible by removing ignition sources, disconnecting the battery, killing the engine and shutting down fuel switches.

“There’s a million things that can happen,” Corley said “You make a basic assessment of it and then just go from there.”

In the case of the Saturday’s crash, the plane apparently lost one of its two engines and broke one of its wings as it went down. Corley said he would never criticize the work of their local fire department.

“It sounds to me like given the situation, they did everything they could,” Corley said.