ERT stages multi-agency drill

Emergencies happen all the time—at home, at play and at work. And when they do, you need to be prepared. That's why the Sanford Underground Research Facility and its Emergency Response Team regularly carry out evacuation drills. Last week, the team went a step farther by staging and participating in a multi-agency emergency drill. 

"You train to be prepared for any emergency and we're prepared because we train," said John Emick, ERT lead. 

The team started with a table top exercise, with all agencies involved discussing the emergency scenario and determining who would be involved if the scenario was an acutal event. "It's a critical step that focuses on the procedures that will be used in an emergency situation," Emick said. "In any emergency, communication is the most important thing, but it's also one of the hardest things. The table top allows us to really walk through every step before we practice." 

The table top was followed by a functional exercise that involved key personnel at Sanford Lab, Lawrence County Emergency Planning and the National Guard's 82nd Civil Support Team. 

"We wanted to show that we can respond to an emergency, put our processes into practice and integrate with outside entities," said Evironmental, Safety and Health Director Noel Schroeder. "We may not always have enough people in an emergency and may require outside help. It?s important that we work closely with other agencies." 

The scenario, developed by Emick and others, involved a simulated release of nitrogen gas on the 4850 Level. This triggered a simulated evacuation of the underground and a real-life practive of a medium incline rope rescue, in which the team attaches ropes to both the victim and a Stokes, or rescue, basket, then pulls both up the incline.   

"The rescue went really well," Emick said. 

"Our team did great," Schroeder said. "We found opportunities for improvements—both in how we respond to an emergency and in how we integrate with other groups. But, overall, the exercise shows our team is ready for any emergency."

Another important element of the drill was to exercise Sanford Lab's incident command system and emergency operations center (EOC), said Lab Director Walter Weinig. In an emergency, an incident commander oversees the event. "But on a facility level, there's a lot more to deal with," Weinig said. "In a real emergency, we need to focus on families, employees and the media. The incident commander can't do all of that and focus on saving lives."

Overall, Weinig was pleased with the efforts of everyone involved. "Working with the other agencies was great. Our team integrated well and every agency involved benefitted from the exercise," he said. "I'm very proud of us as a group."