Maine hazmat teams simulate mass decontamination in training at SMCC
Jun. 6—Sounds of laughter, fake coughs and the crunching of hazmat suits filled a parking lot at Southern Maine Community College on Thursday while volunteers participated in a full-scale disaster training exercise.
Community members sprawled out on the grass, pretending to be unconscious before they were carried to bright yellow tents on stretchers. Other people stood in line, waiting to be scanned for radioactivity before being hosed down with water.
The Maine Army National Guard's Civil Support Team and the Maine Emergency Management Agency led the training, which helps first responders prepare for hazards such as weapons of mass destruction, terrorist attacks, chemical releases and other disasters.
They're hosting a series of similar training sessions across the state this week.
Thursday's exercise was a simulated mass decontamination involving an unknown chemical agent dropped by a drone. Hazmat response teams from Portland, South Portland and York County split into groups, made a plan and zipped up their suits before spraying down the "contaminated" volunteers.
Diane Dunn, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, said the purpose of this training is to help visualize what a real-world disaster might look like. Along with learning how to use the equipment, responders from different agencies practice communicating with one another.
"It's exciting to see it all come together because of the years that go into the preparation and the training for them to gain the skills required to be ready and available in the event that we have a real emergency," Dunn said.
Before an actual disaster happens, it's important for responders to learn each other's strengths, said Maine Army National Guard Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Steinbuchel.
"You don't want to be exchanging business cards for the first time when you meet them," Steinbuchel said. "You want to have those relationships established so that if, God forbid, something ever real did happen, you already know each other."
The tents that actors were carried into after they were "contaminated" come from the Maine CDC and are part of the only mass casualty decontamination system in the state, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Sturgis said. They have catch basins on the floor so the chemicals can be disposed of properly. Sturgis said Thursday's training was the first time the system was used in a training event with role players.
The few dozen volunteers came from Southern Maine Community College, University of New England, the Red Cross and the Maine Responds emergency health volunteer system.
Many sported workout clothes with swimsuits underneath. Before the training began, they fueled up with Chex Mix and water. Some stretched.
Samantha Grela, a program coordinator for Maine Cities Readiness Initiative, instructed the volunteers to show different symptoms while heading to the tents, such as coughing or blindness.
Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Manager and Maine Responds member Amy Stevens said she has participated in training scenarios before and likes to create a character for herself.
She said disasters can be chaotic, so responders should be prepared for everything.
"Disasters strike everybody at the same level, regardless of age and background and disabilities," Stevens said. "I'm a little old lady and I'll sometimes pretend to have Alzheimer's, just for fun."
UNE nursing student Chrys Russo said he's learned about decontamination in chemistry class, but watching the process play out as a volunteer was helpful. He said he now sees what his future patients might have to endure.
"I'm probably going to be getting them after they come through the decontamination," Russo said. "They're going to be soaked and freezing and terrified."
Maine Responds member Nasser Rohani said he volunteers for public health events because, as an Iranian immigrant, he wants to give back to America. After this experience, he said, he hopes to join the Red Cross.
"I'm looking for every opportunity, from now until the end of my life, and this was a good start," Rohani said.
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