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Several area teams which local residents count on to able to get to a disaster scene, quickly take charge of a situation and render aid to injured persons were running drills last week as part of on-going preparedness routines.

Fairview Lakes Medical Center and Wyoming police and fire personnel participated in a mock chlorine spill Saturday morning, October 3, set at Maranatha Church in Wyoming.

The "victims" who were suffering chemical burns and breathing difficulties were triaged and decontaminated, and some were transported to the Fairview Wyoming Emergency Room for treatment, where ER staff practiced dealing with a multiple victims scenario.

Marianne Anderson, Fairview Lakes nursing administration, said the hospital does two of these drills annually. One drill requires "community involvement" with volunteers and local police and firefighters involved. She said Fairview is grateful for the local public safety agencies who participate and to volunteers and staff who donate their time for the drills.

Victim volunteers for the chlorine spill exercise were transported to the church from Birchwood in Forest Lake, and some youth volunteers were related to adults working at Fairview and Birchwood.

Wyoming First Responders got the opportunity to use equipment and practice evaluating mock injury victims. North ambulance and Lakes Area ambulance/EMT crews were also participating.

The 911 call went out at 8:02 a.m. and four minutes later Wyoming teams arrived, and by 8:10 all responders were busy at the church.

The Chisago City Fire Department also had a drill Tuesday night, Sept. 29.

The scene was a multi-vehicle crash, with the "crashed" vehicles set-up at the Chisago City Public Works site.

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