Press Releases

Increased presence of emergency vehicles near Nellis on May 11

  • Published
  • Nellis AFB Public Affairs

Southern Nevada residents may notice an increased presence of emergency vehicles moving to and from Nellis Air Force Base on May 11 as the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System and community emergency services team up to conduct an emergency medical exercise.

During “Operation Dark Cloud,” simulated patients will arrive on Nellis’ flight line, where medical professionals will assess and then coordinate their transport to identified National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) hospitals throughout Clark County.

The VASNHS leads the full-scale exercise, which is hosted at Nellis Air Force Base with support from local emergency services, hospitals, and transportation agencies.

This exercise was developed to test and evaluate the activation of Southern Nevada’s patient reception capabilities and is conducted at least once every three years. It integrates National Disaster Medical System medical facilities’ ability to identify and report available beds, perform patient reception, and transportation of patients in real time.

“These exercises test interoperability between agencies and ensure efficient and coordinated response to emergency scenarios,” said Felix Acevedo, VASNHS emergency manager. “It’s critical that we are able to work together to respond to situations that impact our community; whether they are civilian, military, or veteran.”

For questions, contact the Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs Office at (702) 652-2719 or by email at 57WG.PA.MediaOps@us.af.mil. Nellis Public Affairs will coordinate with VASNHS Public Affairs for any media coordination.