Practice
makes perfect for emergency training
BY BRENDAN WEEKS
Special to the Dispatch
“Get
back! Stay where you are!” firefighters shouted to a victim
who walked in a daze towards them. The man had been involved
in a fatal accident with a truck carrying hazardous materials.
Fortunately, it was only a drill.
On Sunday,
Oct. 22, emergency agencies from northern Frederick County
and parts of Pennsylvania came together to practice dealing
with hazardous materials. Each year the Local Emergency Planning
Committee stages a large-scale accident to test the skills
of emergency responders. This year the drill took place at
the corner of Roddy Road and Roddy Creek Road.
Planning
began in May when the committee talked to the town about staging
an accident. “There’s a lot of preparation, not
only to come up with the scenario, but to obtain the partners,”
said Walter Murray, Frederick County Fire and Rescue Services
Division Director.
Trained
evaluators on site assessed the situation. “What they’re
(the evaluators) going to be looking for is process to make
sure the parts are functioning in a safe and effective way,”
said Murray. “This gives us an idea of what we have
to work on.”
Agencies
first responded to the mock accident around 7:30 a.m. The
stolen truck involved in the accident was leaking organophosphorus
(a chemical used in pesticides), ammonium nitrate fertilizer,
and diesel fuel, a combination of chemicals likely to be transported
through a farming community.
The drill
was crafted to be as authentic as possible. “It’s
going to be reality,” said Guardian Hose Fire Chief
Chris Kinnaird, “Everything that happens today is on
an actual timeline.” Only a few people knew the circumstances
of the drill.
Chuck
Jenkins, criminal investigator for the Frederick County Sherriff’s
Office, believes this is a likely scenario the county might
face.
“Frederick
County has been lucky, for the volume of truck traffic coming
through and the rail traffic coming through, we’ve really
been lucky,” said Jenkins.
Rick
Himes, overseer of the exercise, is very pleased with the
results. “Overall the drill was a tremendous success,”
said Himes. “There were some minor things. We had some
agency communication issues.”
The town
is currently working on an emergency operations plan, which
will detail evacuation procedures in the event of a HAZMAT
emergency. “Right now there’s no plan that exists
for a natural disaster,” said Police Chief Gregory Eyler.
A committee will be formed and eventually citizen input will
be solicited.
During
the drill there were a total of seven causalities, including
one police officer and two firefighters. According to Himes
these were “a result of actions of the agent that was
in use and not having the proper equipment.”
“When
that happens, we start thinking different,” said Eyler,
“We have to get our people out of there.” He said
the drill has caused officers to be “more aware.”
Immediately
following the drill, participants were debriefed and observations
they made were noted. In two weeks the evaluators will meet
with the committee to review their comments.
