Announcements

30 SEPTEMBER 2024 – IMLAY CITY, MICHIGAN, USA

This past Saturday 28 September, Imlay City hosted a ‘full scale exercise’ simulating a ‘hazardous material’ train derailment accident here in Imlay City.

Lead by Sarah Whaley, PEM – Emergency Management Coordinator for Lapeer County, Jeff Satkowski ENP, PEM – Director, Central Dispatch for Lapeer County,  Anthony Easlick – Imlay City Police Department SRO and Keith Klobucar – Imlay City Fire Chief – over 100 members from 14 agencies including the Imlay City Fire and Police Departments, Lapeer County EMS, fire fighters from our neighbors in Attica, Almont, Burlington, Elba, and Goodland Twp., Lapeer County Sheriff Department, CN Railroad Police and HAZMAT Response Teams, Lapeer County Health Department, Salvation Army, Imlay City Schools and outside Evaluators and photographers came together to test ourselves, our systems, plans and protocols for responding to a large scale emergency in our midst.

The parking lot behind the IC Middle School was transformed into a ”hot zone” complete with a HAZMAT training trailer provided by CN Canadian Northern Railroad and a smoke machine wafting a large simulated white vapor plume for effect.

At 0900 Central Dispatch received a radio call and then broadcast a ”training” alert call to IC FD, PD, EMS to respond to the scene. Subsequently all players moved to incident channels to communicate with each other.

Arriving on-scene from the staging area at the IC High School, the successive teams of Police, Fire, EMS found the ”accident” scene to include victims portrayed by Imlay City students all sporting various injuries and symptoms – these young folks did an outstanding job of testing the responders complete with moaning and screaming for help and their mothers – very realistic and designed to test the nerves of those attending to their wounds.

Attica Fire Department rolled up nearest the scene though back out of the airborne stream of gas – hooking up hoses and spray systems and large air-fans, they prepared for engaging the emergency.

Imlay City, Almont and Goodland Township heavy equipment staged back behind Attica and waves of their personnel took turns moving into the arena and also supporting those working ahead of them.

Fully suited and geared men and women could be seen moving into and out of the scene, testing all the equipment and systems available including loud piercing alarms hanging on the firefighters’ coats alerting them to the presence of noxious gasses.

Protocol of bringing ‘victims’ out of the hot-zone included a large arc spray of water to ‘de-con’ the patients and cleanse them of contaminants, then moving them to a triage area to be treated for immediate needs overseen by EMS directors and a Lapeer County Health Department evaluator and finally full gurney set and loaded up for transport. Out of caution, none of the four + ambulances actually ran anywhere from the scene.

The purpose of the event was to test the training of the responders in an area that they, thankfully, don’t respond to every day, as well as to allow integration among agencies. The evaluators who are subject matter experts in the various areas of the response review the actions of responders, providing feedback on how the response went. This allows training and response plans to be updated accordingly, well in advance of any real-world incident.

During the post-event debrief, all groups and individuals gathered again, enjoying a hot lunch provided by the Salvation Army mobile canteen, and we shared with each other the honest reflections on the day.

I could not report any better news than how this event played out and I cannot express how grateful our community is to have these men and women who train and test themselves in order to respond to difficulty and emergency for their neighbors.

In my opinion, with these folks, our tax dollars are well spent, and our trust is well invested.

Thank you all for your dedication to the health and safety of our Community.

Ted Lee Sadler, Mayor Pro-Tem
City of Imlay City