OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Imagine a train wreck in a rural part of Marion County, one where hazardous materials are released into the environment.
Would public safety agencies be prepared to handle the situation?
There’s an adage that seems appropriate. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management (MCSO EMA) and the Florida State Agricultural Response Team (SART) aren’t leaving anything to chance, preparing for situations that can occur by conducting a full-scale simulation exercise. More than a dozen agencies participated in a drill this week at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion.
The response was to a train derailment that was supposed to have taken place the morning of Tuesday, July 23, in the Sparr Community. SART in conjunction with EMA, directed their energies toward the simulated disaster where a number of people had been affected in a rural area. The drill involved evacuation orders due to a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) situation.
“Initially, the responding agencies were the Marion County Sheriff’s Office as well as Marion County Fire and Rescue,” said Zach Moore, MCSO public information officer. “Once we discovered for exercise purposes that there was an ethanol leak, Marion County HAZMAT responded and began mitigating that. Since it was a CSX train, their HAZMAT team responded. They’ve been deploying resources in the area. It was a great response on their part.”
MCSO replicated sending out an order for help, with SART and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services responding. MCSO’s agricultural unit was also involved in the exercise.
“As far as the HAZMAT situation, it’s been determined that for the exercise, that it was an ethanol spill, the ethanol ignited, so we had to fight the fire from that,” said Moore.
There were more than 100 people involved in the exercise, including people acting as victims in the impacted area. Pets from Marion County Animal Services and the Marion County Humane Society, along with horses from the MSCO mounted patrol were also part of the simulation. Large animals had to be relocated to a shelter at the incident command post at the livestock pavilion.
Real-life scenario
If this had been a real emergency, the livestock pavilion had an animal-friendly shelter, so all evacuees could be provided safe lodging. The American Red Cross had a room with cots for people and close by there was also a large animal shelter for horses, cattle, and larger livestock.
Responding agencies also deployed mobile units, including mobile corrals and swing chutes.
The exercise also simulated a decontamination process and triage area.
“One of the things that we simulated with the exercise, being that there was ethanol exposure and combustion there’s the possibility of asphyxiation for people and animals alike, nausea and dizziness from the toxic fumes. That’s certainly something that we’re prepared for,” said Moore. “With this exercise there are a certain number of inputs that we receive. Each different division, one of those could be an animal fatality, a human fatality, and what would we do in each situation. So far, we haven’t run into that exercise experience, but there’s definitely policies and procedures in place.”
Mobile veterinarians were set up just beyond the triage area to provide additional care. Horses were checked for edema, swelling, and for respiratory distress as part of the simulation.
“For this exercise, we brought in a core of voluntary veterinarians, who are working the mobile vet command,” said Moore.
Moore says the importance of training like this can’t be understated for Marion County and its unique, large agricultural community.
“It’s very realistic that something like this can happen at some point,” said Moore. “It’s great to have all of the resources that we have to come to our aid if something real was ever to occur.”