PURPOSE

FUNDING

Funding for the disaster drill came from two federal programs: a $75,000 grant through the Health Resources Service Administration and a $15,000 Department of Justice grant. Emergency responders in Livingston County received about $300,000 in grants in 2003 and $826,000 in 2004. See Homeland Security Grant News for more information.

SCENARIO

Volunteers walked around as if in a confused state, disoriented and dazed from having inhaled the chemical. Fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene and dozens of personnel assisted victims and sprayed foam on the chemical spill.

Emergency personnel were on the scene to perform triage on the victims and give placebos in place of real medications They were led to tents where they were sprayed with a decontaminant and others were whisked away to area hospitals.

The hazardous material wasn't being identified in advance in order to test the agencies' ability to successfully identify it and respond appropriately. Tests showed that "pneumonic plague", a biological agent that can result in death if left untreated, had been released during the incident a Mt. Brighton.

In the afternoon, a terrorist group swarmed on Maltby Middle School in a Columbine-type scenario and took over two classrooms using students as hostages. First responders organized a quick action deployment team and officers were tested on how well they coordinated the action plan with officers from other departments. SWAT teams from the Livingston County Sheriff's Department and Brighton City Police then converged on the school and took control of the situation from the terrorists.

RESULTS

The exercise pointed out the need for a revamped radio system and increased information from responders about the layout of schools. Police officers will set a goal of visiting a set number of schools per month. Also, a task force to address school-related emergencies is planned.