WEEDSPORT - If not for a large neon-orange sign at the start of Ditmar Road that read "Disaster Drill In Progress," some Weedsport residents may have been mighty confused about what was going on at Whitford Airport Thursday evening.
A sample of what observers might have seen: firefighters, police officers and ambulance crews from across the county huddled around two foam-covered cars near the runway. More than 60 pink and white stuffed bunnies scattered across the airport's lawn.
And men in blue suits and orange boots scrubbing people with brushes.
But passers-by needn't have worried. The strange-looking scenario was not some "Twilight Zone" episode, but instead a full-scale terrorism drill organized by the Cayuga County Emergency Management Office.
The drill, funded with grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, presented a fictitious situation in which a terrorist suicide bomber at the airport was to have caused several injuries, scattered debris and a strong, undetermined odor.
More than 100 participants, including representatives from the EMO, sheriff's office, county Hazmat team and numerous area fire departments, were asked to react as if the event had really occurred.
Some of these first responders had already practiced the scenario last month with a computer simulation program prepared by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology at Cayuga Community College.
So what were all of those odd sightings about?
For starters, the stuffed rabbits represented bombing victims.
Donna Sowles, rescue captain for the Weedsport Fire Department and the triage officer for the drill, was in charge of helping these victims.
Using tags tied around each animal's neck, Sowles directed members of the Weedsport Fire Department to help her determine who was in critical condition (27), who could be considered among the walking wounded (30) and who was dead or likely to die before reaching the hospital (6).
After the evaluations, Sowles and Weedsport firefighters used wooden backboards to transport the victims to the Hazmat area, which had set up in another field.
And that's where the men in the blue suits come in.
The Hazmat team dressed in protective gear before approaching the scene of the bombing - two crushed cars near the runway that firefighters had previously doused in foam. The team had to check for radiation and determine what the unknown odor was, said Auburn Fire Department Captain Joe Morabito, who played the role of Hazmat entry officer for the drill.
Morabito told the volunteers the correct procedures for bringing both the patients - and themselves - through the decontamination process.
Gary Parker, a 19-year veteran of the Weedsport Fire Department, elected to go through the technical decontamination, which involved being scrubbed with soap and water and stripping down to a T-shirt and shorts (in a real event, he would have had to remove all of his clothing).
Parker, drenched from sweat and the soapy water, said that the drill was helpful.
"It's a real eye-opener, because we don't practice this every day," Parker said. "We had a pretty good chain of command. We were always accounted for by the operations (officer) and by the safety officer."
Sowles was also pleased with the drill.
"I thought everything went well considering a lot of people have never gone through this at all," she said.
Kristin Card, emergency planner/safety coordinator for Chemung County, was one of many evaluators on scene. She designs similar scenarios for her county.
Card praised the Hazmat team and the cooperation of the various agencies.
But she noted that the firefighters were not in the proper gear when they were sent to put out the car fire, adding that the situation was potentially a hazardous one.
"I've seen some very good things, and I've seen some areas that need improvement," Card said. "And that's exactly why you have training exercises."
Besides a few glitches - the smoke machine didn't work, Auburn Memorial Hospital couldn't fully participate because of a water emergency and the heat made it difficult for firefighters to remain in full gear - Roman Rotko, EMS coordinator and the man who wrote the scenario, was pleased with the three-hour drill.
"Anytime there are a number of departments getting together and they can work together, it's a success," Rotko said, adding that he thought communication went smoothly.
There will be a critique of the drill Aug. 18 at the Weedsport Fire Department.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
And men in blue suits and orange boots scrubbing people with brushes.
But passers-by needn't have worried. The strange-looking scenario was not some "Twilight Zone" episode, but instead a full-scale terrorism drill organized by the Cayuga County Emergency Management Office.
The drill, funded with grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, presented a fictitious situation in which a terrorist suicide bomber at the airport was to have caused several injuries, scattered debris and a strong, undetermined odor.
More than 100 participants, including representatives from the EMO, sheriff's office, county Hazmat team and numerous area fire departments, were asked to react as if the event had really occurred.
Some of these first responders had already practiced the scenario last month with a computer simulation program prepared by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology at Cayuga Community College.
So what were all of those odd sightings about?
For starters, the stuffed rabbits represented bombing victims.
Donna Sowles, rescue captain for the Weedsport Fire Department and the triage officer for the drill, was in charge of helping these victims.
Using tags tied around each animal's neck, Sowles directed members of the Weedsport Fire Department to help her determine who was in critical condition (27), who could be considered among the walking wounded (30) and who was dead or likely to die before reaching the hospital (6).
After the evaluations, Sowles and Weedsport firefighters used wooden backboards to transport the victims to the Hazmat area, which had set up in another field.
And that's where the men in the blue suits come in.
The Hazmat team dressed in protective gear before approaching the scene of the bombing - two crushed cars near the runway that firefighters had previously doused in foam. The team had to check for radiation and determine what the unknown odor was, said Auburn Fire Department Captain Joe Morabito, who played the role of Hazmat entry officer for the drill.
Morabito told the volunteers the correct procedures for bringing both the patients - and themselves - through the decontamination process.
Gary Parker, a 19-year veteran of the Weedsport Fire Department, elected to go through the technical decontamination, which involved being scrubbed with soap and water and stripping down to a T-shirt and shorts (in a real event, he would have had to remove all of his clothing).
Parker, drenched from sweat and the soapy water, said that the drill was helpful.
"It's a real eye-opener, because we don't practice this every day," Parker said. "We had a pretty good chain of command. We were always accounted for by the operations (officer) and by the safety officer."
Sowles was also pleased with the drill.
"I thought everything went well considering a lot of people have never gone through this at all," she said.
Kristin Card, emergency planner/safety coordinator for Chemung County, was one of many evaluators on scene. She designs similar scenarios for her county.
Card praised the Hazmat team and the cooperation of the various agencies.
But she noted that the firefighters were not in the proper gear when they were sent to put out the car fire, adding that the situation was potentially a hazardous one.
"I've seen some very good things, and I've seen some areas that need improvement," Card said. "And that's exactly why you have training exercises."
Besides a few glitches - the smoke machine didn't work, Auburn Memorial Hospital couldn't fully participate because of a water emergency and the heat made it difficult for firefighters to remain in full gear - Roman Rotko, EMS coordinator and the man who wrote the scenario, was pleased with the three-hour drill.
"Anytime there are a number of departments getting together and they can work together, it's a success," Rotko said, adding that he thought communication went smoothly.
There will be a critique of the drill Aug. 18 at the Weedsport Fire Department.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
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