Lewiston-Auburn team trains for disaster

: Joshua Howe talks with Kellie Welch as they dispatch responders in the Mobile Command Post on Wednesday morning during disaster training at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport and Intermodal Facility. First responders were given a scenario of a commuter plane crash with six passengers and possible hazardous material near propane tanks. Their responses were monitored and areas of improvement were noted during the exercise. “We’ve been planning this for two years,” said Phyllis Gamache, Lewiston-Auburn 9-1-1 Emergency Communications System Director.

: Members of the C.O.B.R.A. HazMat team, which covers all of Androscoggin County and assists Oxford County, run tests as they asses the danger level on a suspected hazardous material Wednesday during a training exercise at the Intermodal Facility in Auburn. The team consists of Lewiston and Auburn police and fire, Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, Lisbon police, and United Ambulance.

: C.O.B.R.A. HazMat team members in level A hazmat suits inspect a suspected hazardous material during a training exercise Wednesday in Auburn.

: Lewiston police Cpl. Jeffery Baril, left, briefs the C.O.B.R.A. HazMat team on the mock disaster scenario at the Intermodal Facility in Auburn on Wednesday morning. Local and federal agencies converged on the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport during a simulated plane crash to gauge responses to the catastrophe. “The point of today’s drill was to exercise our abilities, to get to know each other, and to identify areas of improvement that would be necessary in a major catastrophic event,” said Phyllis Gamache, Lewiston-Auburn 9-1-1 Emergency Communications System director.