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Emergency personnel gear up for training exercises
Representatives from several local organizations met Tuesday at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott for a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) meeting to address several upcoming full-scale emergency exercises. The group conducts a meeting every other month.
Bourbon County Emergency Manager Will Wallis headed the afternoon meeting with members from various local organizations, including the Bourbon County Emergency Management, Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department, Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, Bourbon County Commission, Bourbon County Fire District, Fort Scott Fire Department, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott, Fort Scott Community College, USD 235, Carlisle-Timken, and McDonald's.
Full-scale exercises planned
In the near future, Bourbon County will have full-scale exercises in Girard, Parsons, Yates Center and Moran.
The first three exercises are being conducted by the Southeast Kansas Healthcare Coalition (SEKHCC), and the fourth by the Allen County Emergency Management and Sheriff's Departments.
The meeting dates are as follows: March 17 in Yates Center at the Rural Fire Barn, time undecided; 8:30 a.m. March 24 in Girard in the Civic Center; and 10 a.m. March 31 for Parsons in the Central Park Pavilion in Chanute.
The Moran exercise is today starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Marmaton Valley High School and is a full-scale active shooter exercise.
According to a flyer, the exercises will allow "participants to practice implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions in a mass care shelter situation." Communication and coordination between health care entities will also be practiced.
The exercises will fill the 2015-2016 Kansas Department of Health and Environment requirements for Local Public Health and Community Hospital work plans, the flyer reads.
Members of agencies in various fields, including public health, hospital, including infection prevention, law enforcement, emergency medical services, emergency management, and mental health are encouraged to participate.
A working lunch will be provided and certificates of attendance will be provided for each participant.
Locals prepare for worst
During a two-day training exercise Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 at Fort Scott Community College, 34 representatives from various organizations worked with an ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) trainer. ALICE is an emergency training organization that works with people to better prepare them for the threat of an active shooter. Training all FSCC staff in ALICE is a goal for the college.