Local emergency responders tested their readiness during a mock disaster Friday afternoon .
Charlie Parker, DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator, told WJLE that the exercise involved tornado touchdowns causing damage in the area of Mount Herman Baptist Church and at a subdivision training field belonging to Middle Tennessee Natural Gas off Main Street. “We simulated a tornado touchdown in two or three different spots in the city and the county. We then called the appropriate agencies to respond to see how our flow of communication worked and to make sure we called all the right agencies. We observed how the agencies worked together on the scene and how they communicated in getting the patients transported so the hospital could practice their part in having several patients at one time. We also checked with surrounding counties to see how many ambulances, helicopters, and police officers could come to help us if we were to have a major incident. We had a total of nine patients who were picked up and transported to the hospital. The exercise went very well. We practiced every aspect of it from the rescue crews finding the patients and then EMS getting them loaded onto the ambulances and taken to the hospital. It all seemed to work very well,” said Parker.
The exercise was staged by members of the DeKalb County Local Emergency Planning Committee. Among the organizations and agencies participating in the drill were the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, DeKalb County Fire Department, DeKalb County Rescue Squad, DeKalb EMS, DeKalb County E911 Center, DeKalb Emergency Management, Smithville Police Department, Smithville Fire Department, Public works/utilities, DeKalb/Cannon County Amateur Radio Club, DeKalb Community Hospital, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and the DeKalb County School System.
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