For The Press and Standard
As part of the Statewide Exercise, Colleton County conducted a week of training exercises in conjunction with other local and State Agencies including EMD. Rocky Tucker and Eric Turner from State EMD were in Colleton all week and participated in the drills. Tuesday, 07-March, included a simulated overturned tanker truck with a mass casualty incident. Firefighter-Paramedics had to mitigate the incident, which involved large quantities of anhydrous ammonia. The truck was found to have the wrong placards, but crews discovered it early and figured out the proper product. Responders donned Level A HazMat suits for the entry into the area, conducted area air monitoring and controlled the product leak. The victims were treated and removed from the area, then decontaminated and transported to Colleton Medical Center. CMC participated in the drill and treated multiple patients related to the chemical leak. Some additional simulated contaminated patients walked into the hospital through the front doors and the staff had to deal with the “surprise” injured patients. The Sheriff’s Office and the State EMD were also involved. The drill ran most of the morning and the scenario was evaluated later in the afternoon for areas of improvement. The drill was held on Bullet Hill Road in the Industrial Park.
