As the aviation community gears up for the 49th annual National Championship Air Races, it's not just the pilots looking back at last year's event.
Doctors, nurses, and EMTs are preparing to staff the medical tent at the Reno-Stead Airport this year. The medical professionals said normally, that job includes handing out band aids and sunscreen, and making sure people stay hydrated.
But with the memory of last year still fresh in their minds, they are hoping for the best, while preparing for the worst.
"You always learn to expect something like [last year's crash], to prepare for something like this," Saint Mary's Regional Health Center Doctor Jenny Wilson said, "and sometimes you're going through drills and you're thinking 'Why am I doing this?' And we got our question answered."
Dr. Wilson was working a shift in the Saint Mary's emergency room when the call came through that a plane had crashed into the grandstands at the Reno Air Races. Within minutes, dozens of patients flooded the local hospitals.
It was a day that members of the medical community said they will never forget, especially with this year's event taking place this week.
Many of the same doctors, nurses, and first responders who experienced the tragedy firsthand last year will be staffing the medical tent this year. They said they are trained and ready, although it's not without a little bit of worry.
"There is a certain feeling you get when a jet goes through the air and it rumbles through your neck and your chest, and that used to be an amazing feeling. Now, it's a little trepidation for me," Saint Mary's Registered Nurse Julie Morgan said. Morgan was staffing the medical tent during the crash last year.
If you attend the races this year and need medical attention, the medical tent is located right behind the grandstands.
Written by Arianna Bennett
