Biohazard Drill Takes Place at MBS, Local Hospitals

What would happen if a plane from Las Vegas full of passengers with an infectious illness landed at MBS Airport? That’s a question emergency responders from around the Great Lakes Bay Region attempted to answer during an emergency drill Thursday, May 16.

A massive coordinated effort involving emergency medical, fire, police, rescue and hazmat teams participated in the drill, with more than 130 volunteers acting as the infected patients. The volunteers were then shipped to area hospitals, where the simulation continued to test each hospital’s response.

MBS Lieutenant and commander of fire operations for the event Mike Bauer says the biggest challenge the agencies faced was communication. The event had more than 400 emergency personnel from the region, and Bauer says coordination all of those people took some work. However, Bauer and other officials, including Mobile Medical Response Director of Ancillary Services and event coordinator Jay Cooper say the exercise was an overall success which ran smoothly for its scope and size.

The drill lasted from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Leaders from each of the agencies will meet in about a month to assess the region’s critical response and what areas need to be improved.