Local first responders train for mass-casualty events

Local first responders say they train for mass-casualty events similar to the terror bombing in Manchester, England.

According to Boone County Fire District Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp, all mid-Missouri agencies and state agencies have mutual-aid agreements to help each other when needed.

“When it comes to response to a mass-casualty incident, whether that be a natural disaster, a man-made disaster, a bus crash, whatever that may be, all of the agencies within Boone County have agreements where they work together,” Blomenkamp said. “So in the event that we would have one of those large-scale, mass-casualty incidents, it would be an all hands on deck, everyone would be called and you just continue to reach out as far as you need to to get the resources to come help you.”

Blomenkamp said Boone County agencies work together on a day-to-day basis so if a large-scale event happened, he feels they would be adequately prepared and capable.

“So if it’s a law enforcement event, law enforcement trusts us and knows that we’re going do our part of it and they’re going do their part of it,” Blomenkamp said.

Blomenkamp said the agencies will set up a unified command center where a representative from each agency will be stationed to make sure they are not doubling up on work.

“They would be making decisions based on the good of the organizations involved and the community,” Blomenkamp said. “So we work together in those instances every day. We trust each other. We know each other. We know the faces so that relationship building has really helped Boone County residents.”

One of the main training scenarios Boone County agencies have participated in and practiced is for an active assailant. Blomenkamp said it involves cooperation between law enforcement groups and first responders to create a “warm zone.”

“Law enforcement would go in and clear the threat first or secure the threat and then fire department and EMS members would come in to what’s called the warm zone with law enforcement protecting us so we can start doing patient care and extraction of those victims,” Blomenkamp said.

Blomenkamp said if a situation similar to what happened in Manchester occurred in mid-Missouri, first responders would use this method of response.

“It would start out as a law event,” Blomenkamp said. “We would very quickly realize the number of injuries we have. They would very quickly transition us into that warm zone or that area to start treating the victims and start extracting the ones that are injured that we can get to the hospital.”

Blomenkamp said fire departments across the county have adapted to become “all hazards” type of response agencies. He said they train for various situations and work with multiple agencies to be as prepared as possible for any scenario.

“Here in Boone County, God forbid the event would happen here, people would have a good response,” Blomenkamp said. “They’d have good people taking care of them and, at least this organization in Boone County, we have worked together and train together and we have a relationship already.”