By JONATHAN SNYDER
Bluffton and Wells County Emergency Services ran a training program at the Valero Renewables Plant on Friday to simulate what would happen if a disastrous chemical spill occurs.
The Bluffton Fire Department, Bluffton Police Department, Wells County Sheriff, Wells County Emergency Services, and Wells County Emergency Management Agency were tested on their response time and reaction to the fake spill.
The simulation involved a train hitting a tanker carrying chlorine gas. The gas, simulated by yellowish-green colored smoke flares, spilled out into the air. Two inflatable dummies, which simulated an injured and deceased victim were also on scene.
Vantage Point Consulting helped set up the scenario and provided guidance on where each department could improve and other things they may encounter in a real disaster. How to decontaminate victims, as well as discernment on who needed decontamination the most, was discussed. Evacuation and shelter protocols, both for the public and for Wells County buildings like the jail, as well as quickly getting information to the public was also discussed.
Currently, there are two forms of instant notification communication that Wells County uses. The Wells County Sheriff’s app has a notification system in place, and through Everbridge, a critical event management software provider based out of Boston, Massachusetts.
Fire Chief Don Craig, Wells County Sheriff Scott Holliday, and Police Chief Kyle Randall all stated that they learned something new during the disaster debriefing session. Craig noted that unpredictable wind would play a major factor in chemical gas spills, due to the chemical cloud’s change in direction. Holliday also added that transporting on average 70 prisoners from the Wells County Jail, should the chemical cloud cover that area, will be tough to address with their current transportation fleet.
Overall, each response team came out of the situation better prepared to deal with the chaos that this event may cause, should it ever happen. Randall noted that while the simulated response was not perfect, it was done well. All the departments at the event took the suggested improvements from Vantage Point to heart.
jonathan@news-banner.com
