Laurel Training Exercise Prep Emergency Responders For Real Event
LAUREL, Md. (WJZ)--Two elderly people and a child vanish in the woods in Laurel and search teams launch a massive rescue effort. That's the scenario of a mock drill for emergency workers this weekend.
Gigi Barnett has the details
The Laurel Police Department says training now improves their chances of finding life when the real thing strikes.
On a clear day in Supplee Park search and rescue teams from the City of Laurel scour the woods. Mounted volunteers take the beaten path and overhead a chopper has eyes in the sky. They're searching for two senior citizens and an autistic child, who've all vanished.
"We have to help them…we have two search and rescue dog teams, K-9 teams," said Martin Flemion, City of Laurel Dir. of Emergency Services.
But this search isn't real--it's a mock drill designed to test emergency workers for the real thing.
"It's vitally important that we have this tool in our tool box so that we can step up to the mat in helping first responders," said Flemion.
Blood hounds are on the trail and any clue left behind could lead to life. The city says it's focusing on this type of simulation because emergency workers there see these kind of missing-persons cases quite frequently.
"We've had a lot of critical missings that our police departments have had to respond to. So, our volunteers are an extra resource for our police officers," Flemion says.
This is a first time some of the volunteers have participated in this kind of drill. So to make sure they're ready for a search and rescue operation, many had to complete a two-day workshop before hitting the woods.
"Hopefully if we have to do this in real life...the outcomes are going to be good."
More than two dozen volunteers participated in the mock drill.
