Y has successful ‘disaster’

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    By SUSAN KENNEDY

    The fire and police departments of Provo and Orem were quick to respond to the “disaster” that struck BYU Thursday morning, a BYU spokesman said.

    “Response was very quick,” said H. Brent Harker, director of Public Communications at BYU. “Information was slow to flow, but I think that’s how it would be in a real disaster.”

    The exercise began with an “explosion” in the Dairy Products Lab and a mock release of toxic chemicals, which left 148 “victims” lying all over the area. The “injured” were transported to area hospitals for emergency care.

    Harker said the crews did not have detailed information about what was happening.

    “They were learning what was happening as they went along.”

    The purpose of the activity was to prepare for emergencies and to learn how to better coordinate disaster planning, Harker said.

    Although a victim hotline was quickly established, information concerning how many were injured or dead was delayed and inaccurate. Reports given to the Emergency Operations Center showed only 51 injured and 15 dead, a vast under-estimate.

    “Accurate victim counts are difficult to come by in any disaster,” Harker said.

    Those involved with the EOC conduct annual table top exercises, in which they mentally go through emergency procedures. However, it took a live enactment to detect the communication/information problem.

    Despite the difficulty of obtaining information, Harker said the exercise was useful.

    “It taught us that we have a pretty good capability for taking care of casualties. We were able to pick them up and move them very quickly,” he said.

    The entire activity was monitored by those in the EOC, which is in the Harman Building. They were able to watch what was going on via videotape. Based on the tapes, they also had the opportunity to make concrete evaluations about the performances of all involved.

    “Typically, the EOC is blind,” Harker said. “This was an interesting addition.”

    Harker said the activity proceeded as he had hoped.

    “We know that at some point there will be a disaster here,” Harker said. “We want to be prepared and acting one out helps us coordinate better. This was very good and very useful.”

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