Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
You never expect it to happen, until it does.
Disaster drills, like the one held Tuesday on the campus of Michigan Tech, help prepare law enforcement and first responders in the event that the unthinkable does happen.
In the scenario used in this year’s drill, an active shooter was loose on campus.
This is the fourth year that a drill like this has been held.
Region 8 Health Care Coalition Coordinator John Stone said, “Every time we’ve done this, we’ve improved the level of sophistication of our incident and the emergency response agencies that have participated have all stepped up their game and I see the progression of improvement in their capabilities.”
The Houghton-Keweenaw County Disaster Control unit can help treat up to 200 victims, far more than the usual five from a standard ambulance.
In a mass casualty scenario like the one they practiced, where there are up to 45 victims with 5 fatalities, that unit can help save lives.
It’s just one of the many benefits of holding disaster drills.
Stone said, “When we do an exercise, we collect lessons learned, as a result of that, and that comes back into training and more equipment purchases and things that improve our capabilities all around.”
After the drill, the teams get together to talk about what they learned and how they can better respond if they are needed for real.
