Prepping for emergencies

Tuesday afternoon at the meeting of the Hot Springs County Local Emergency Planning Committee, board members visited about the 2018 full-scale exercise that simulated a two-vehicle crash with a release of hazardous materials.

Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Gordon said the exercise was successful with a good turnout and participate, as well as a thorough after action report and improvement plan.

Though he couldn't speak for the entire fire department, firefighter James Coates thinks it opened their eyes on some areas of shortcomings in the department.

Catherine Crumpler was very pleased to report that the mental health responders met following the exercise and identified which agency would do what, and they are in agreement to have a drill where mental health goes fully with incident command.

Later in the meeting Crumpler suggested obtaining a list of clergy in the area who could also provide pastoral counseling.

Also at the meeting, Gordon introduced Gehrig Haberstock, the disaster program manager with the American Red Cross of Wyoming.Gordon noted Haberstock would be part of the upcoming psychological first aid training on April 5.

The concept of psychological first aid was brought up before the 2017 eclipse, Gordon said, and deals with those who are upset by what they've seen or otherwise experienced.

There are firefighters, EMS and law enforcement who are already dealing with a hectic situation, Gordon said, and they are then approached by people who are wound up, and every moment dealing with such people takes them away from the emergency at hand. Having people who can provide psychological first aid means also having a set place where those affected by incidents can sit and calm down, while keeping them out of the way of first responders. Gordon expressed his appreciation to Crumpler for getting the initiative toward psychological first aid going.

Haberstock added the first aid is not necessarily long term crisis intervention but can help toward de-escalating a situation. It doesn't provide people certification to be a counselor, but does equip them with the skills they employ for crises.

Gordon also reported there would be a demonstration of the alert sirens. There are two reasons for the sirens — tornadoes and failure at Boysen Dam.

Though he has avoided using two different sounds, Gordon selected a second tone to differentiate between the two emergencies. On April 6 there will be a test of the high-low tone used for tornadoes, and on April 13 the new tone for dam failure will be tested.

Gordon is also working on a family assistance center plan for large scale traumatic events, to get people out of the public eye and give them a quiet place to help decide what to do next.

Haberstock presented information on a Multi-Agency Resource CEnter (MARC), explaining it's something of a "one stop shop" where multiple agencies can provide services at one location so those impacted by disaster need only make one stop for everything rather than five or six.

Gordon said the family assistance center and the MARC are long-term projects happening here.

Haberstock also spoke of Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD), which helps to organize local organizations and resources to determine what can be leveraged instantaneously and determine solutions when emergencies happen. Such organizations can be structured or casual, Haberstock said.