It's all about preparedness

The community of Dexter is a little safer and a little more secure in the knowledge of what path to take should a disaster occur in the area, whether it be natural, accidental or intentional.

That security comes following a three-day workshop that took place in the Stoddard County Ambulance District facilities where emergency responders from across the state gathered to take part in the seminar - the first of its kind in Southeast Missouri.

It all began with local Fire Chief Al Banken, who consulted with Poplar Bluff's Jackson Bostic, On Scene Coordinator for the state. The two talked of Dexter hosting a program through the Missouri Department of Homeland Security (MDHS). Bostic made the appropriate contacts, asking Homeland Security to provide the course, and word went out across the state that 18 applicants would be accepted to attend. Every seat was filled this week as emergency responders from as far away as Kansas City descended upon the new SCAD facility to learn from the experts how to react when one's worst fears become a reality.

Conducting the class were Capt. Steven A. Veneziano from Watertown, Conn., and Adjunct Instructor John W. Sniderhan, from Cape Coral, Fla. The two are affiliated with the Academy of Counter-Terrorism Education at Louisiana State University. They are actually part of the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training (NCBRT) at LSU. Along with many other experts in their field, the two travel the world, instructing emergency personnel whose backgrounds are in firefighting, law enforcement, hazardous materials, and explosive ordnance disposal. The focus is not only on what to expect given specific disaster scenarios, but more importantly, how to react and how to protect their communities from potential danger.

The two NCBRT instructors had done their homework before arriving in the Dexter community. The trainers supplied 18 laptop computers for the training, each equipped with software that included local mapping showing key sites in the area. Those sites were potentials for bomb threats, chemical leaks or other atmospheric disasters.

"Essentially," explained Sniderhan, "the course gives these people a tool to more quickly respond and evaluate a site and make a decision as to what course to take."

In his training, Veneziano utilized what is referred to as the Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) training. The course includes detailed technical information and hands-on practice of critical elements of the CAMEO system and its associated programs. Participants were provided opportunities to practice key procedures that allowed them to enhance planning and response activities associated with community risks.

The course provides more of a planning tool to be utilized in emergency situations, Sniderhan stresses.

"For instance," he says, "in the event of a chemical spill, your authorities will not only know how to react, they will now have the ability and the knowledge to plot the course that the spill would take, allowing them to take the appropriate steps to block the path, guiding possible evacuations to reduce potential injury or contamination."

NCBRT focuses on four areas of training. They include Awareness, Performance, Management and Planning, and Web-Based Training. The Performance Level Training is the session that was conducted in Dexter this week. It began on Tuesday and concluded Thursday afternoon.

The course is intense. Those in attendance are inundated with tools and information that in the end, they take back to their hometowns and implement into their own emergency plans.

Communication is key in the event of an emergency, and those in the workshop learned how vital using the proper methods of communicating with not only local, but federal, and state agencies. Coupled with that was intensive instruction regarding the determination of factors that included key investigative techniques to distinguish between intentional and accidental incidents, the roles and responsibilities of state and local agencies, and information that should be provided to the public through media outlets regarding a potentially threatening situation.

"It's all about preparedness," says Bostic, who has worked closely with local responders in the past and has been instrumental in providing guidance to Stoddard County emergency personnel in the past.

"Dexter has been blessed to have leaders in the community who are open to hosting this type of coursework. It's a true asset to the area," Bostic said.

Next week, the 18 who attended the seminar, including Dexter's own Todd O'Dell from the local fire department, will return to their workplace and implement their newfound knowledge into their own city's emergency preparedness plan.