Disaster drill: emergency responders test their skills with a meth lab scenario

Local law enforcement and emergency response teams responded to a mobile meth lab in front of Elmore Memorial Hospital Friday.

The meth lab wasn't real but the lessons learned from the training scenario were, as a half dozen local emergency response agencies took part in the most recent disaster drill for Elmore County.

"We learned how important it is to identify resources, to pre-plan, and communication is huge," said Nick Schilz, chief deputy sheriff and the county's disaster coordinator.

The exercise lasted three hours and forced law enforcement officials to deal with the ramifications of a mobile meth lab while hospital officials dealt with evacuating patients from the hospital.

It began with a "victim" rushing into the hospital crying "I'm going to die, I'm going to die," and claiming she had been contaminated with a lethal exposure to meth dust.

Hospital officials quickly "bagged" her in a decontamination suit. Staff exposed to the dust and police officers who initially responded to the hospital were placed in quarantine while the hospital's mobile decontamination tent was set up.

Meanwhile, authorities identified the location of the mobile lab in the parking lot next to the swimming pool in Richard Aguirre park and sealed the area office while fire crews staged nearby.

The Incident Command Post was set up in the park to coordinate all the various agencies and serve as a central source for decision-making, with Shilz directing the team of key officials from the police and fire departments, as well as health officials. The hospital also set up a disaster command post in its conference room.

An initial investigation by police determined that another "victim" was inside the RV where the lab had been set up. Although the victim in the RV was down and only partially responsive, officers followed procedure and did not enter the contaminated site.

They waited for the fire department, as well as hazmat teams from the state and airbase, to arrive. A two-man team was then suited up in hazmat suits with air packs that made them look like spacemen as they entered the RV, "bagged" the second victim (played convincingly by Deputy Sheriff Latreyda Shultz) in a decontamination suit, and removed her from the RV.

Because of the threat of possible contamination to the hospital, Hospital Administrator Greg Mauer ordered an evacuation of his facility.

The hospital used State Communications and Central District Health Department to find beds to make a simulated move of patients to nearby hospitals, such as St. Luke's or St. Al's.

Meanwhile, the whole exercise was being evaluated by more than a dozen officials from Central District Health Department, who met with all the participants afterwards for a debriefing critique.

"Usually, those guys are tougher on themselves than we are," one evaluator said," but overall it looks like they're doing pretty well" he noted in the middle of the excercise.

Schilz said there are two to three full-scale training sceneries a year so local emergency response teams and law officials can be as prepared as possible for a real event.

Schilz said there will be another one prior to the Community Appreciation Day airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base to help prepare for the three-day event.

Participating agencies in Friday's drill included: Central District Health, Elmore Country Sheriff Office, Mountain Home Police, Elmore Memorial, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Mountain Home and Elmore County C.O.P.'s, NPA, Mountain Home Fire Department and State Communications.