INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — As the sweat-soaked crowd began to pour out of the Vero Beach Regional Airport late Sunday afternoon, a smile crept across the face of Indian River County Fire Rescue battalion chief Cory Richter.
“We had another uneventful day,” he said. “That’s perfect.”
Other than treating a few heat-related medical calls Saturday – only one required a trip to the hospital – and a couple of allergic reactions to bee stings Sunday, the first responders assigned to the Vero Beach Air Show had a relatively quiet weekend.
There was one case of a missing 8-year-old boy Sunday, shortly before the show began, but he was reunited with his family within five minutes of the crowd being alerted to the situation by the public-address announcer.
“I noticed him by the Sheriff’s helicopter and we just started walking toward each other,” said Vero Beach Police Officer Casey Myers, a traffic homicide investigator.
Myers was one of nine officers at the air show for the Vero Beach Police Department, the lead law-enforcement agency for the event. They were supported by six Sheriff’s deputies and 14 Fire Rescue workers.
Richter said Fire Rescue had two engine companies, a crash truck, brush truck and two medical units on site and was ready to respond to emergencies, including crashes.
“Instead of being at the station, we’re here,” Richter said. “We’re already on the airfield in the event we’re needed. And we’ve got the right people here to handle just about anything that can happen – chemical, radiological, bomb-related, you name it.”
Also on the premises were federal air marshals from the Transportation Security Administration, a mobile lab provided by the Florida Fire Marshal’s bomb squad, three National Guard trucks containing an Army Civil Support Team and agents from the FBI, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“We don’t anticipate needing any of it,” Sheriff’s Lt. Chuck Kirby said, “but it’s better to have them here and not need them.”
Both Kirby and Vero police Lt. Matt Harrelson said the added support was a necessary precaution but that there was no threat of terrorism. In the event of a crash – or any other catastrophic event – first responders would employ the same emergency plan in place for other air disasters at the airport.
“That’s a worst-case scenario,” Harrelson said.
“We hope this stuff is just here to look pretty.”
With noon-time rain Saturday, oppressive heat and humidity throughout the weekend, and the Navy’s Blue Angels cancelling their scheduled appearance because of a recent fatal crash involving one of the elite team’s pilots, Harrelson said it appeared “we don’t have as many people as we thought.”
Those who did come out left safe and sound, for the most part, and that brought a smile to Richter’s face.
