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Crime & Safety

AHS Hosts Emergency Training Drill

Anne Arundel County Department of Emergency Management held a training exercise Friday at Arundel High School. Local volunteers spent the day preparing first responders with emergency training.

More than 100 volunteers turned out at Arundel High School to participate in a training exercise simulating a natural disaster.

Volunteers were briefed and told that there was a massive tornado that ripped through Anne Arundel County, destroying many homes in the county and leaving many homeless.  

In this scenario, county residents were forced into shelters until the area was deemed safe.

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This exercise follows an active spring storm season, with numerous violent storms that ripped through the Midwest.

The makeshift shelter for the exercise was inside the cafeteria at Arundel High School. A triage and folding cots were set up in the gymnasium.

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In the simulation, children could be separated from their parents. First responders had medical emergencies with various injuries to treat.

There were lost pets and people who needed medication in the simulation. The exercise also tackled mental health issues. Some volunteers were instructed to depict people who were distraught from the event and needed counseling.

Volunteers first had to “check in” and register their family members at the shelter, being assisted by an American Red Cross volunteer.

Some volunteers were assigned acting roles in the exercise as well. Some participants were told to fight with family members and strangers. Others were ordered to be disorderly and intoxicated. Several volunteers were handed doll babies to carry around the simulation to represent infants.

Members of the Anne Arundel County Police Department were on hand to step in and manage and disorderly conduct. The Department of Social Services worked to connect displaced family members who had been separated from their households. The DSS workers also assisted with the sheltering efforts. County paramedics were on hand to handle the numerous medical emergencies.

While it was a fun experience for most, this was a necessary training drill to ensure our American Red Cross and emergency personnel are ready for anything that happens.

Anne Arundel County Animal Control was also involved in the exercise for management of pets that were displaced in the disaster.

“We are happy that so many volunteers gave up their time today,” said Karen Sank, the Community Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator for the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management.

“This is a necessary exercise to make sure our plans for sheltering are effective, should we be faced with a disaster,” Sank added.

Sank noted the call for volunteers was featured on Anne Aundel County Patch sites and various county publications. The county runs exercises like this 1-2 times a year. The Arundel High School exercise ran four hours.

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