Training drill helps responders be ready for a disaster

June 12--"You don't want to be exchanging business cards with the National Guard after a disaster hits."

Those were the words of Lt. Col. Matt Devivo of the North Carolina National Guard as thousands of emergency responders worked together to combat a simulated chlorine gas leak in Canton as part of a series of drills known as Operation Vigilant Catamount.

Operation Vigilant Catamount featured a series of drills in Western North Carolina through the latter part of last week, with everything culminating with the massive Papertown drill.

The Canton portion of the drill kicked off at 9 a.m. Saturday, when a scene was staged in which a truck carrying hazardous materials was t-boned by another vehicle. A simulated chlorine gas leak led to multiple injuries and two fatalities.

Initially, hundreds of emergency responders from around the county descended on the command headquarters, situated above the Evergreen Paper Mill, and the decontamination station about 100 yards from ground zero. Within an hour, they were joined by over 400 National Guardsmen from the 42nd Civil Support Team (CST) out of Greenville, North Carolina.

Once the National Guard arrived, they made the determination that a "striker team" was needed. The striker team uses specialized equipment to determine airborne contamination, assess the risk to the public and determine an appropriate response.

"We're more for hazards and other stuff," Sgt. 1st Class Rob Ricks said of the strike team.

Brig. Gen. John Byrd, a third-generation guardsman who has served 36 years, said these drills provide an opportunity for the National Guard to encounter many scenarios.

"This was very in-line with what we try to do once per year with emergency command and control and working with our partners," he said.

Along with testing the National Guard and its capabilities to work with local emergency responders, the drill gave local emergency responders a chance to hone their own kills on familiar ground.

"Training together greatly increased our level of preparedness and will expedite our access to specialized resources in the future," Canton Police Chief Bryan Whitner said.

Part of the drill even involved Canton Executive Assistant/Deputy Clerk Lisa Stinnett introducing Whitner at a simulated press briefing, which he used to talk about the drill and what would happen in a real-world scenario.

"Residents would be advised to stay away from the area and to avoid contact with choline gas," he said. "If necessary, instructions to evacuate or to shelter in place would be given. The public would be provided with information on the signs and symptoms of exposure to dangerous concentrations of chlorine."

"Only specially trained or equipped responders from Canton Fire Department and other agencies would enter the hazardous zone," he continued. "The Hazmat team would also set up a decontamination area to decontaminate anyone needing medical attention prior to treatment."

In addition, the drill served as a good chance for the paper mill to test its emergency responders.

Leslie Frady, safety and loss prevention manager for the paper mill, said that although this is the first drill like that she's been a part of, she could already see its merits.

"It's a good opportunity to work with other entities other than the mill," she said.

She noted that in a real-world scenario, a disaster such as a chlorine gas leak could severely cripple the mill's operations.

"It has the potential to inhibit production or something as serious as even closing it down," she said.

If this were a real-world situation, the response would be slower and require a series of requests. While the initial response ideally wouldn't differ much from how things played out in the drill, the National Guard would not be required on the scene quite as quickly. Once city and county responders determine they need assistance, the call the State Emergency Management Office in Raleigh, which falls under the Division of Public Safety, and call for National Guard Assistance. Then, at least 400 soldiers can be on scene within 24 hours. Even then, it takes a while to assess the situation.

"It's a scramble to get there, whereas training missions, everyone knows," Ricks said. "Real world there's a bit more confusion and chaos."

Although just over 400 participated in the Western North Carolina drills, Devivo said the number of responders can reach the thousands, such as for Hurricane Matthew, when the guard sent over 1,700 responders from many of the state's 91 armories to deal with the aftermath.

The entirety of the drills conducted in the region will end up costing state and local governments hundreds of thousands of dollars combined, but Devivo cited the successful responses to disasters such as Hurricane Matthew and the recent unrest in Charlotte as being examples of why these drills are a good investment.

"It's money well-spent," he said.

A "hot wash" or a chance to debrief participants, will be held Wednesday in Jackson County, during which emergency responders will evaluate the drill.

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