Mass Casualty Exercise to Take Place in PA

More than 250 responders from 50 different federal, state and local agencies will test Lake Erie contingency plans in a two-day mass casualty and pollution exercise beginning Nov. 5 at the Erie Port Authority Cruise Ship Visitors Terminal. The exercise, centered around a simulated collision between a cruise ship and an ore carrier, is designed to focus on a broad range of themes including search and rescue, emergency medical care, immigration, law enforcement and environmental response. Participants will run through actual drills such as medical triage, helicopter rescue operations and deployment of pollution equipment, as if the exercise was an actual event. Exercise coordinators will monitor operational and planning methods along with logistics, finance and multi-agency coordination. Agencies will also test new technology and procedures such as the Coast Guard’s new On Water Recovery System for mass rescue and Side Looking Rader (SLAR) for pollution detection. Participants are being enlisted to portray victims from the simulated ship collision.