Mass casualty exercise to test regional emergency response

Wahkiakum County is slated to take part in a simulated mass casualty exercise scheduled for next Thursday, June 10, from 9a.m. until 3p.m..

The event is sponsored by Southwest Washington’s Region 4 Homeland Security Coordinating Council which includes Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties and is designed to test the emergency response capabilities of each county.

The emergency management office of Cowlitz County said as the “Big MAC” (Multi-Agency Coordination) plan unfolds, the test will provide a simulated environment for the agencies involved to learn how their plans, policies and procedures will hold up during times of disaster.

“It is also designed to test each agency’s coordination and clarify the roles and responsibilities of the departments and organizations involved during a major incident,” said Cowlitz County Emergency Management Director Brover Laseke.

Wahkiakum County Emergency Medical Services Captain Beau Renfro explained the scenario: “It will be a multi-person incident and, initially, there will be a heavy law enforcement component.” Renfro added he can’t divulge what the incident being responded to is, or where it will take place. “I can’t tell you where, when or how the simulated incindent will occur,” said Renfro. “That would spoil the surprise. I can tell you that it will happen somewhere in Cathlamet.”

He said all the agencies involved will use the River St. conference room as their strategic operations center and police will close down Division St. between Butler and River St.

“This exercise will be a basic test of our capacities,” said Under Sheriff Jon Dearmore. “It’s also designed to test our mutual aid capabilities.”

In total, more than 40 agencies in Southwest Washington are scheduled to participate. Fire and emergency medical service centers will conduct simulated triage and pre-hospital treatment, as well as using ambulances and medevac helicopters.

During the mass casualty exercise, St. John Medical Center in Longview will test their “surge capacities.” The hospital received a preparedness grant to test how the facility and staff will react to a large influx of injured people in a very short time. “This will help hospital management determine where their weakness might be in a crisis,” said Renfro.

Shortly after the exercise begins, the Sheriff’s office will be called in to assess the incident scene for safety status and rescue needs. “The way it works,” said Renfro, “is the Wahkiakum Sheriff’s office, since they will be first on the scene, will become the incident commander.

“Initially, it will be abundantly clear this is a law enforcement call,” said Dearmore. He also indicated the exercise will be important in that it represents a danger profound enough to call in all of his department’s assets including, “…both our full time and reserve deputies,” he said.

“While I can’t give you any details, the scenario being presented is something that could happen in a small rural town like ours,” said Dearmore.

The county’s emergency operations center will coordinate the support activities and provide logistical and technical support to the on-scene incident command officers.

Renfro said historically, the radio communications component of a test like the one scheduled for June 10 has been what’s hampered the police, medical teams, fire and emergency response teams in the different counties. Often their radios were incompatible and the inability to cross-talk with different agencies caused problems.

To help mitigate some of the communications problems during the exercise 911 centers will help coordinate all the counties’ resources and test new communications systems. Also each county will test its own communications equipment and its timely response in sharing information between the different county departments and agencies participating.

“Essentially we have assets we can call on throughout the four counties involved,” said Renfro. There are always six mass casualty trailers spread throughout all four counties on standby. These emergency trailers can handle anywhere from 50 to 100 patients. “Basically these trailers are mini-hospitals,” he said.

The way it breaks down is, shortly after the June 10 incident unfolds, the Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s department on-scene commander will evaluate the situation and realize his staff is overwhelmed by the disaster. He will then start to call in support from the other counties. “It will be like a domino effect, only in reverse,” said Renfro.

In addition to police and fire the Wahkiakum County Health and Human Service agencies are being asked to participate. Renfro said what these agencies are called out to do is assist people who are upset by the event. “What I’ve seen them do during a real event,” said Renfro, “is, as family and neighbors begin to show up and react to the incident, HHS workers will be there to console folks.”

The Civil Air Patrol and Life Flight also play a role. Planes and helicopters will provide air cover and feed aerial images of the incident scene and transportation routes to the River St. command headquarters. Life Flight will provide emergency air transport to the medical centers.