Sun Journal
CANTON, Maine — A pair of mock disasters involving mass casualties and hazardous materials were staged here over the weekend to test the ability of emergency officials in three counties to work together.
“More people faced more challenges than in any exercise conducted in the history of Oxford County,” Oxford County Emergency Management Director Scott Parker said of the all-day event. Each group performed well, he said.
The exercise took place along Route 108 in Canton with the command center across from the fire station. It included approximately 250 first responders and volunteers, including seven fire departments, five police departments under the command of Sheriff Wayne Gallant, and two regional hazardous materials teams.
“The key purpose of the exercise was to get teams of teams working together,” Parker said, trying to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses.
One mock disaster was a hazardous materials incident requiring the mass evacuation of Victorian Villa nursing home in Canton to Buckfield. The other was a mass casualty school bus accident caused by a terrorist involved in a shootout with law enforcement officers.
The first responders were headquartered in Canton where Fire Chief Wayne Dube was incident commander.
“The Buckfield shelter portion of the exercise had four teams. The School Team was led by Buckfield High School Principal George Reuter. The Aries Team consisted of ham operators from around the county who were capable of providing worldwide communication. The CART (County Animal Response Team) took care of the animals brought to the shelter and the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) operated the shelter at the high ,” Parker said.
The victims of the mock school bus accident were members of the Drama Club at Buckfield High School.