As an Air Force fire truck drove toward a plume of smoke, a long-planned exercise began as planned Friday despite the looming budget sequester.
Late Friday marked the start of the federal budget cuts that set the stage for months of civilian furloughs and $46 billion in across-the-board reductions in the military — and the possible cancellation of an air show this fall in San Antonio.
The exercise simulated the crash of an F-16D with two casualties at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The base's 82 civilian firefighters, including eight who responded Friday, won't be spared from furloughs due to start April 25.
The sequester cuts include 22 furlough days for 20,127 civilian employees at Joint Base San Antonio.
When asked how he could be sure there would be enough firefighters to handle a real crash, something that last happened nearly 30 years ago, Col. John Kane declined to comment.
“I won't be able to answer that,” said Kane, commander of the Texas Air National Guard's 149th Fighter Wing.
The commander of Joint Base San Antonio, Brig. Gen. Theresa Carter, told firefighters and others at the exercise not to discuss the sequester with media. The impact is coming soon, with 58,435 civilian Defense Department employees affected at all Texas bases.
The Air Force, meanwhile, said it had cancelled the season for the Thunderbirds demonstration team and would reduce all flying hours by nearly one-fifth. All active-duty, guard and reserve air units were ordered to stop supporting air shows and flyovers, including military funerals.
The Thunderbirds were to fly at this year's San Antonio air show, but the Air Force's training command has not said if it would scratch the event.