My Ground Search and Rescue team got to play last week in a full-scale exercise. It included City of Lansing police and tactical units, two County Sheriff depts, State police including the Air Wing, Airport Police, Lansing Fire & Rescue, Bioport Security and medical teams, City and County Emergency Management, the National Guard, local government representatinves, the Amercian Red Cross, and last but not least, Tri-County Search and Rescue and CERT team volunteers.
The scenario was a tornado hit near the airport. Later in the day an 83 year old woman with early Alzheimer's was discovered missing. In our search for her, we discovered items of a suspicioius nature related to the airport, terrorism, and the Bioport facility (where the nation's Anthrax vaccine is produced). Then the exercise turned tactical and lasted into the night.
Everyone played their roles perfectly. All clues were detected, and they were so clue aware that they were finding things that I hadn't planted for them, too. Luckily they did find the body and carried it out. The FD let me borrow one their dummies, unfortunately it was the 250lb one. Draging that through the woods by myself to plant it was no fun at all, lol.
The only hitch came when an elderly CERT volunteer became too tired to go on, and said that she "turned an ankle" so she was just going to sit. Although I was able to discern that this was "real" and not part of the exercise yet not a real emergency (she was just tired, not injured), the damage was done. Someone in the EOC heard the transmission and went into safety mode. They hooked me up with a Tactical unit with a quad, and off we went to rescue her, freakin' MP5 strapped to his chest and all. That was one rough ride through the bush, only to arrive at the scene to discover she had rested up and walked back to the CP with the group!
The Basecamp trailer worked great, as did my new repeater and comms. My little girl (dog) even got in some training. It was a great day...although more than a little exhausting. I meant to have pics taken throughout the exercise, but was just too damn busy coordinating our activity. Her's a few to get the jist though: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ghostship/sets/72157622674147784/
Michael
The scenario was a tornado hit near the airport. Later in the day an 83 year old woman with early Alzheimer's was discovered missing. In our search for her, we discovered items of a suspicioius nature related to the airport, terrorism, and the Bioport facility (where the nation's Anthrax vaccine is produced). Then the exercise turned tactical and lasted into the night.
Everyone played their roles perfectly. All clues were detected, and they were so clue aware that they were finding things that I hadn't planted for them, too. Luckily they did find the body and carried it out. The FD let me borrow one their dummies, unfortunately it was the 250lb one. Draging that through the woods by myself to plant it was no fun at all, lol.
The only hitch came when an elderly CERT volunteer became too tired to go on, and said that she "turned an ankle" so she was just going to sit. Although I was able to discern that this was "real" and not part of the exercise yet not a real emergency (she was just tired, not injured), the damage was done. Someone in the EOC heard the transmission and went into safety mode. They hooked me up with a Tactical unit with a quad, and off we went to rescue her, freakin' MP5 strapped to his chest and all. That was one rough ride through the bush, only to arrive at the scene to discover she had rested up and walked back to the CP with the group!
The Basecamp trailer worked great, as did my new repeater and comms. My little girl (dog) even got in some training. It was a great day...although more than a little exhausting. I meant to have pics taken throughout the exercise, but was just too damn busy coordinating our activity. Her's a few to get the jist though: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ghostship/sets/72157622674147784/
Michael
