It was only a drill. A planned exercise and mass casualty disaster scene for area first responders occurred on Aug. 16 at the Holdrege Veterans Memorial Park. The exercise, hosted by Phelps Memorial Emergency Services, was aimed at sharpening the skills and improving knowledge in mass casualty triage and grid search and rescue.
The exercise not only taught triage but also the importance of cooperation and communication between multiple emergency response crews. Members of Phelps Memorial Emergency Services, Holdrege Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Phelps County Sheriff’s Department, Phelps County Emergency Management, Holdrege Dispatch, and members of fire and rescue squads from Holdrege Broken Bow, Loomis, Bertrand, Funk, Beaver City, Stamford, Orleans, Lexington, Wilcox, Arapahoe, Minden, and Oconto were present at the drill. Good Samaritan Air Care also participated.
Over 80 first responders learned about grid search and rescue from Matt Maus, HTS Ag, and Ravi Singh, Innovative Drone Solutions. This was followed by a drill with the scene of a tornado with over 35 victims in the nighttime hours.
The educational program titled, “Conducting Safe Night Search Operations for First Responders,” focused on how to conduct a grid search including aerial support. They discussed the risks involved in night searches, techniques for search operations, communication with the command post during a search, and how to coordinate with aerial support.
Over 35 individuals volunteered to act as victims for the exercise, including a Holdrege Scouts troop. Volunteer actors had moulage applied for realistic-looking broken bones, impalements from debris, and other severe injuries.
Marlene Williams, Phelps Memorial EMT and event organizer said, “This training allows first responders, law enforcement, and Phelps County Emergency Management to work together as a team in response to a mass casualty event.” She added, “These drills help first responders learn. Mass casualty situations can become overwhelming and chaotic, but that is why we train. The first responders who attended knocked it out of the park.”
