Playing out the gut twisting scenario of a bombing or explosion at a school with multiple injuries and casualties, the first responders of Wright County descended on the Goldfield school building Saturday morning at roughly nine o'clock to simulate the disaster. It was all hands on deck as members of the County Sheriff's department, and police, EMS, and fire departments from every jurisdiction in the county took part in the gripping practice run.
"Every jurisdiction of law enforcement, fire, EMS and emergency managers are involved," said Wright County Sheriff Jason Schluttenhofer, "and we're simulating a bomb going off inside the facility."
The scene that greeted onlookers was enough to make the pit of one's stomach feel hollow because it all looked much too real. Emergency vehicles from every city and town lined the streets, and the mobile Emergency Command Center was on the scene. First responders bore victims out the front door of the school building on stretchers. Still others moved the wounded into ambulances. The lawn in front of the school was a scene of triage and trauma as emergency medical personnel sought to evaluate the wounded, treat them, move them to ambulances, and even decide who was beyond saving.
Fortunately, it was all pretend. The victims were in truth volunteers playing the part of the injured. And the professional and volunteer first responders alike were practicing for the day they hope will never come – the day when it's all for real, and our brave first responders would have to face an unthinkable reality.
Welcome to the reality of preparedness, where the line between reality and rehearsal blurs, and gaming out the scenario takes on all the urgency of saving lives.
"It's a great exercise," said Schluttenhofer. "It lets us figure out what we lack and what we can improve on." The exercise is done every year, Schluttenhofer said, and each time they do their best to improve. "We try to change the scenario up every time we have one of these full scale operations, we train, prepare, and hope it never happens."
The event was orchestrated by Iowa Specialty Hospital, in partnership with every emergency and law enforcement agency in Wright County.
Schlutenhofer praised the response from emergency agencies. "Every jurisdiction in Wright County is here. At some point all have got at least one or two people. And a lot of these guys aren't getting paid for this. They're coming out and volunteering their time to make it a better situation for us if we do have a real life situation."
Lashelle Burger of Eagle Grove's own EMS service was among those on the scene. "I saw great teamwork all around today, from those training as well as those helping train individuals new to the Emergency Response world," she said. "I am confident Wright County Emergency Responders are equipped with the skills & resources necessary to respond prepared to a real-life event, providing optimal care to the injured, minimizing structural damage & further injury, & ensuring the overall safety of all individuals involved."
"Eagle Grove EMS was excited to participate in this Mass Casualty Training today alongside Law Enforcement Officers, Fire Personnel, EMS crews, Emergency Management, Iowa Specialty Hospitals, & the Wright County Communication Center," Burger also said. "Thank you to the leaders, Mentors & Emergency Preparedness veterans from Wright County Health Department, Iowa Specialty Hospital, Wright County Sheriff's Office, Eagle Grove Police Department, & Wright County EMS Essential Service Coalition for organizing and teaching during this event."
Here's hoping it was all a big waste of everyone's time.
