MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – A recent emergency management functional exercise involving a simulated train derailment and the use of an evacuation centre was a success, say officials.
The exercise involved the Mountain View Regional Emergency Management Agency, which includes the Town of Olds, Didsbury, Carstairs, Sundre, the Village of Cremona and Mountain View County, as well as RCMP and local fire department members.
There was also participation from municipalities outside the immediate area, including the City of Red Deer, City of Airdrie, the Town of Penhold and Kneehill County.
About 80 people took part in the June 5 four-hour exercise, which had three pillars: train derailment, evacuation and emergency social services.
An evacuation centre and a command post were set up in Didsbury, with the derailment located south of Olds.
Some members of Didsbury town staff played the part of evacuated residents.
The exercise itself was called ‘Train Derailment and Emergency Services Scenario for the Mountain View Regional Emergency Management Agency’.
Ryan Morrison, Mountain View County’s director of operation and a director of the Emergency Management Agency, oversaw the exercise.
“It worked well,” Morrison told the Albertan. “We have been practicing here this spring to make sure we could get it done in the timeframe we wanted and make sure everyone works well together and learns everyone’s strengths. I think it worked pretty good.”
The exercise included a mock derailment of a train carrying hydrogen sulphide.
The exercise was funded using a $35,000 provincial grant.
“All the communities in the county had applied for the Alberta community partnership grant,” he said. “We wanted to use our new social service plan to run a reception centre. And the Town of Olds and the Olds Fire Department had just finished doing rail training for fire department activity on the rail line with CP Rail.
“So we said, ‘Let’s get the two of them together’.” So the fire department in Olds got to do their rail activities with CP Rail and we got to dove-tail on that to do this evacuation and emergency social service scenario.”
The province of Alberta requires municipalities to undertake a functional exercise once every four years, “so we were able to meet our provincial obligations. All the communities were able to meet their obligations,” he said.
Sundre council also heard a report about the three-car derailment multi-agency training exercise and simulated evacuation.
Sundre fire department chief Ross Clews, who is also the municipality’s director of emergency management, said the scenario involved a staged evacuation of approximately 600 residents of Olds and Mountain View County.
“I had the opportunity of being in a position I’ve never been in before,” Clews said during the June 9 council meeting, adding his involvement in the emergency support service exercise was as a medical worker.
Included among other municipal staff who participated were Jim Hall, operations manager, and Betty Ann Formstone, legislative executive assistant.
“It was very fast paced,” said Hall. “I was in the ICP (incident command post) as logistics section chief, which I’ve never been in before.”
He added that the exercise’s organizers included lots of “injects” that kept everyone on their toes.
“We had a child missing for quite a long time, so we had to actually change our objectives to a high priority,” he said.
Formstone said she had some prior experience setting up a reception centre and took on the role of lodging leader.
Her job was to arrange accommodations at the Mountain View Inn and Suites in Sundre for approximately 300 people who were coming from the simulated evacuation area.
“They sent in people who were play acting,” she told council, citing one example of a person who said they had been booked into a room with a former partner that had a restraining order against them.
“That’s the kind of thing you’re going to have to deal with,” she said.
“It was all pretty much playing acting, but also very real because these are real scenarios that you can be presented with,” she added.
“If we ever have to do this for real, we do have some preparations to make here in Sundre, but that’s why we’re a part of a regional plan; we can call on our partners.”
