MANSFIELD, Ohio — Emergency preparedness is imperative in helping ensure public safety, which is why the Richland County Emergency Management Agency conducted a disaster training exercise Wednesday morning, involving various area agencies.
Held at the 179th Airlift Wing, the exercise tested first responders’ preparedness in the case of a chemical spill.
Describing the scenario, Richland County EMA Director Mike Bailey said, “It’s going to involve a chemical spill of some sort and it’s going to involve a breach of the container. There will be an initial response from the Air Guard Base and then they, in turn, will notify the HAZMAT team. The HAZMAT team will be here, and that of course kicks in other areas, such as safety, security, evacuation, so there are a lot of things to take into consideration when you get something like this.”
The two-hour drill, he said, is meant to help get everyone on the “same page.”
“Basically, it’s to help test our resources, test our capabilities and test our interactions between different agencies,” he said.
He added, “The design team has been meeting tirelessly probably for the last six months in order to put this together. And the design team, obviously, is made up of many different agencies.”
Each year, the county EMA holds different drills, with this year’s falling under the category of a “functional” drill.
Rick Evans, county EMA deputy director, explained, “We’re on a four-cycle for our drills. Last year we did a tabletop, then it goes to a functional, then full-scale, then we’ve got one year that in case something wasn’t covered, we can go back and cover it.
“Functional means we’re exercising just a part of the whole overall drill. We do some simulation, whereas with a full-scale we do most everything–it’s all hands-on.
“We’re actually just doing the HAZMAT part of it this time,” he said.
He said there were approximately 80-90 people involved in the exercise, including personnel with the 179th Airlift Wing, Richland County Chapter of the American Red Cross, the regional HAZMAT team and local law enforcement agencies and fire departments.
“It’s all about being prepared,” Bailey said. “And this county is very blessed to have a good working relationship with all of its first responders.”
“Basically, it’s to help test our resources, test our capabilities and test our interactions between different agencies,” Mike Bailey said.
