By Andrea Saddler
The Floyd County Times
ALLEN, Ky. — Residents and visitors in Allen on Wednesday morning heard and sirens and many saw flashing lights as various Floyd County first responders conducted a mock disaster drill.
The mock disaster occurred at Dyno Nobel, a company that specializes in explosives.
The month of of September marks the 10-year anniversary of the last major explosion disaster that occurred in Kentucky. The disaster occurred in community of Holmes at Kentucky Darby Mine Number One. The blast occurred 3,000 feet underground. During the explosion, two men were killed instantly and three others died later from deadly fumes as a result of the blast.
Floyd County first responders are on the front lines, often putting their own lives in danger in an effort to help others. The mock disaster held Wednesday allowed firefighters and other first responders the chance to take charge.
“This has really taught us a lot about fire and explosives,” said Thomas Dotson, a health and safety partner for Dyno Nobel. “Being able to do trainings of this kind allow us to see things we need to work on and areas of need we have when dealing with a catastrophic event. It also allows us to see what we are doing right. Communication is the key. When a disaster happens, everyone must be able to communicate and do the role they were trained for in case of an emergency.”
When all stages of the mock disaster were completed, all first responders along with Dyno Noble employees, met at the Floyd County Rescue Squad to review the day’s events.
Copyright 2016 The Floyd County Times