The scenario allowed area emergency services to put their reaction plans on the table.
PARIS – What, who, how, evaluate, evaluate, evaluate.
More than 60 participants worked together Saturday to review their plans and determine the best way to handle a mock terrorist attack involving a chemical weapon.
The training was presented by the Maine Emergency Management Agency in conjunction with the Domestic Preparedness Agency of the Homeland Security Department.
The attack was set up to occur at the rail crossing on Main Street in Paris. It started when an explosion occurred atop one of the freight cars.
According to the script, the explosion turned the area into mass confusion at 10:15 on Dec. 8. By 10:40 there were more than 100 casualties.
As time went on, police, fire and hospital resources were stretched.
Decisions had to be made.
What chemical was being released into the air?
SAD 17 officials had to decide whether or not to evacuate the Oxford Hills Middle School.
What roads had to be closed?
How would officials control worried parents whose children were in school?
What would be done with jail inmates?
What if the chemical agent knocked out police and fire communications?
These questions and more were explored in the nearly five-hour training.
The scenario allowed police, fire, emergency, the Regional Communications Center, Stephens Memorial Hospital, Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and jail officials, SAD 17 officials, Mead-Westvaco Hazardous Material Team and the Oxford County Decon Strike Team to put their reaction plans on the table.
Once a representative for each group or agency explained their plans, the floor was opened for questions and comments.
“The purpose of the exercise was to see if there were any gaps in plans and what further work we needed to do,” said Daniel Schorr, Oxford County Emergency Management Agency director. “Training is necessary because there is always a need to improve and people change. New people need to be brought up to snuff.”
Katherine Bonney, vice president for quality management Stephens Memorial Hospital, said one of the strengths that came out in the training was cooperativeness.
She said through the training she identified new resources in the community and saw how hospital services could be expanded during an emergency.
“It was excellent,” Bonney said. “I was impressed with the dedication of everyone there.”
Bonney said the biggest weakness in the area was lack of redundant systems of communications.
Paris police Chief David Verrier said his department gained insights into the roles of other agencies during emergencies.
“We’ve had all kinds of first responder training and I think my guys showed that they were well prepared,” he said.
Verrier said. “I found that if they didn’t have an answer they were able to go to different tables and find the answers.
“In the future we will do some cross training with fire department,” he said.
Schorr said there have been 11 similar exercises in Maine in 2003, and another one was a possibility in the future.
“If we were perfect we wouldn’t have to do these things,” he said.
jsmedley@sunjournal.com
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