Adams County authorities simulate chemical attack in training session for local emergency organizations

HASTINGS, Neb. – Multiple Hastings area and statewide emergency response organizations are now better prepared for a catastrophic emergency event, after a live training session Tuesday morning. 

Adams County Emergency Management, along with the 72nd Civil Support Team, hosted 10 organizations from as close as in Hastings, to as far as San Antonio, for a full-scale field exercise of an emergency response at Adams Central Elementary School.

The other organizations involved in Tuesday's training were the Hastings SERT (Specialized Emergency Response Team), Hastings Fire and Rescue, Adams County Sheriff's Department, Adams Central Schools, Mary Lanning Hospital, Hastings Police Dispatch Center, Hastings Rural Fire Department, Juniata Fire Department, and Nebraska Emergency Management.

Those local divisions responded to what was initially a mock call of a fire alarm at the elementary school, but turned out to be a much more dangerous chemical hazmat simulation.

"This was a simulated chemical release at a large event. Could it happen here in Adams County? Without a doubt it could happen," said Adams County Emergency Management Director Ron Pughes. "Taking that information and disseminating that down to the local level, figuring out what to do and how to go forward was the important part of the outcome of this training."

Tuesday’s opportunity for these organizations was unique, as officials say a training exercise of this size hasn’t happened in Adams County in 15 years.

The participating agencies completed scenarios of rescuing dummies that represented people in need of medical assistance, locating suspicious items in the building, and practicing other emergency response skills in preparation of a real emergency.

Pughes supervised the nearly three hour long training session, and called the overall response a success.

"The goal was absolutely met. The first thing was that it gave responders that key feeling of what to look for, to not be tunnel-visioned by bodies laying around, to look a little deeper than what we routinely respond to on a fire alarm." said Pughes.

Pughes says there were a few communication issues between some agencies during the training exercises, but he didn’t notice any glaring missteps by anyone involved.

"Now is the time to learn and to grow, and to figure out your gaps. That's exactly why these trainings exist." said Pughes.

The 72nd CST will remain in Hastings until Thursday conducting other various training exercises at Adams Central.