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Preparing for the worst
Sep 3, 2009
By David Owens, newseditor@laurelleadercall.com
August 19, 2009 10:57 am
— Emergency responders from Laurel and Jones County gathered at the Laurel Fairgrounds Tuesday to kick off several days of disaster preparedness.
The scenario at the fairgrounds involved a biological attack that saw the mysterious “deaths” of two inmates cleaning the grounds there. Members of the Laurel Fire Department wore hazmat suits to investigate the Lonnie A. Dees Agricultural Building.
Lt. Col. Stephen C. McCraney of the Mississippi National Guard coordinated this week’s events with Don McKinnon, director of the Jones County Emergency Management Agency. McCraney is the commander of the 47th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (47th WMD-CST).
“Our motto is to train to the point of failure, so then you can fix something,” he said. “You’re able to stress what lessons can be learned, and retrain so you can do better next time. Then, when something real happens, you can coordinate a lot better, quicker and faster.”
Units participating Tuesday included the Laurel Fire Department under Alfred Jordan, Jones County Sheriff’s Department, EMServ and ASAP ambulances, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and volunteer fire departments from throughout Jones County.
Lance Chancellor, public information officer for the Jones Co. EMA and assistant chief of Powers Fire & Rescue, said this week’s events will help all agencies get to know each other better.
“This is an excellent opportunity to observe the 47th WMD-CST and ascertain their capabilities,” he said. “On Thursday, we will be testing our emergency response capabilities. It will be a strenuous test of every facet of our operations.”
This morning, a military helicopter will land at Sawmill Square Mall with a briefing for local elected officials at the Jones County Emergency Operations Center. On Thursday, simulated incidents will begin happening at 11 a.m. and continue until 11 p.m. all across Jones County. Since this is a test of the emergency response capabilities of the entire spectrum of local emergency response agencies, the exact nature of the incidents is being kept secret in order to provide a realistic test.
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Photos
Members of the Laurel Fire Department and other Jones County-based emergency agencies participated in an emergency response drill Tuesday at the Laurel Fairgrounds. Pictured above, the group works through a hazmat simulation that involved the mysterious “death” of two inmates cleaning the grounds.
The Mississippi National Guard’s 47th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (47th WMD-CST), based out of Flowood, discuss the hazmat scenario run Tuesday at the Laurel Fairgrounds. The 47th WMD-CST is helping local agencies including the Laurel Fire Department, Laurel Police Department and county emergency responders in a preparedness drill this week.
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