Several local agencies will respond to a simulated tornado at Union College on March 16. This crisis drill is designed to improve emergency preparedness in Knox County. Some participants include, left to right, Steve Owens, Pat Clouse, Mike Broughton and Bill Swafford of the Barbourville Police Department; Doug Dozier of the Barbourville Fire Department; President Thomas McFarland, Mike Gray and James Jamerson of Union College; Beth Smith, Brenda Graham and Beth Smith of Knox County Hospital.
The clock strikes 9 on the Union College campus one Friday morning. There is a mass gathering in the gym for some sort of typical college event. Activities pause as the floor rumbles a warning. Then walls begin to collapse, the roof rips off, and people collide with flying debris. What now?
That is exactly what will be tested on March 16 when Union College will host a simulation to test the effectiveness of the college and local agencies as they respond to a crisis. The simulation is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and will end within two hours.
The event, called “A Blustery Day in Barbourville,” will be a mock tornado that does structural damage to the gym and other areas of campus, and leaves some students hurt and others killed. Local agencies, including Union College, Knox County Disaster and Emergency Services, Barbourville Police and Fire Departments, Knox County EMS, Knox County Health Department and Knox County Hospital, will respond as they would in the event of a real emergency.
Mike Gray, coordinator of Student Conduct and Campus Safety at Union College, said that this simulation will provide Union College and other local agencies a chance to test and evaluate their response procedures in the event of a real crisis.
“After updating our emergency management plan, we decided the time was right to start testing things out,” Gray said. “Our local first responders need facilities and volunteers to train and test their skills, and that is what we as an institution can provide them, while at the same time ensuring that we are providing the highest level of service to our community members as possible.”
Rita Miracle, disaster preparedness coordinator at the Knox County Health Department, is the organizer of the simulation. She said local agencies are required to do a full-scale simulation every five years. This drill enables local first responders to remain in compliance, while also giving the college an opportunity to test its emergency preparedness.
“We have always had a plan, but events over the last few years have really pushed colleges and universities to be prepared in the event of an emergency, regardless of type, which could occur on their campus,” Gray said.
The simulation is not just being done to test each agency independently. It also provides a chance to see how well the different agencies work together.
Mike Mitchell, emergency management director at the Knox County Health Department, predicts that the agencies will do fine.
“All our services work together well,” Mitchell said. “We’re very capable and have the necessary personnel and resources to respond in the event of a crisis.”
About 30 Union students will participate as victims and will each be given a tag prior to the event. These tags will reveal each student’s simulated condition so responders can address problems appropriately. Five students will receive tags that mark them as fatalities. The others will be categorized into three groups: those that need immediate attention, those that are immobilized with non immediate life-threatening injuries, and those that suffer only minor injuries, also known as “the walking wounded,” according to Miracle.
Following the event, each agency will receive an evaluation as reported by external field experts. Evaluators will list what went well and will identify areas of concern. These reports and the simulation itself will help agencies better themselves, so that in the event of a real crisis, they will be able to perform effectively.
No comments:
Post a Comment