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A traveler dials 9-1-1 to report an explosion as they were traveling west on Hwy. 13 near LaMoure. The caller reports a lot of smoke and a fire with smoke drifting and limiting vision. LaMoure First Responders are sent to the scene. A second call provides additional information. The explosion is reported by the manager at Dakota Plains’ chemical storage facility near LaMoure. It is believed that three employees are injured and one is unaccounted for. In addition a truck was delivering pesticide and the driver has serious burns to his face and hands. The truck and its contents were consumed by the flames. All this information was available 12 minutes into the full-scale exercise for LaMoure County emergency personnel. On Wednesday, June 14th ambulance, fire and rescue joined law enforcement to participate in a training exercise in LaMoure. The event brought together ambulance crews and first responders from LaMoure, Jud and Edgeley. Fire departments came from LaMoure, Edgeley, Jud, Marion and Verona. Law enforcement was represented by LaMoure police officers, the county sheriff and deputies and North Dakota Highway Patrol. Rick Ballinger, LaMoure County Emergency Management Director was stationed at the command center with three county commissioners, Keith Heidinger, Richard Aberle and Bruce Klein. Make-up and acting were critical elements in the creation of this exercise. Victims truly looked as though significant injuries had been sustained. Firefighters wore air packs as they searched the scene for injured individuals. Although it seemed a long way around to arrive at the scene responders learned that unless they stayed out of the path of the plume they succumbed to chemicals.
Gary Jensen, LaMoure County Sheriff served as the public information officer. He had the responsibility of providing information and allowing access to the scene. This full-scale exercise surprised victims as firemen practiced hosing down individuals with soapy water to decontaminate them before moving them to triage which was staffed by LaMoure Ambulance EMTs. Ronna Hesby headed out the emergency medical response. She even arranged for a Life Flight or helicopter to arrive and transfer a patient. That came as a surprise to Karin Fischer who was the critically wounded patient that was air lifted out. It proved a valuable learning experience for everyone as the helicopter crew thought that they were to land on the highway when actually they were supposed to land south of the plant next to a field. It became necessary to get the Life Flight crew’s attention before they landed. On second approach they made the landing and after communication between Hesby and then the EMTs the patient was loaded.
Following the conclusion of the exercise all the volunteers met with all the evaluators for comments. Overall controllers and evaluators were pleased with the readiness of LaMoure County volunteers to respond to a terror attack with chemical spills.
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