Emergency manager helps neighboring county in exercise

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Emergency personnel in Crawford County gathered at Pittsburg State University Thursday for a disaster exercise, with the help of Bourbon County Emergency Manager Keith Jeffers.

Jeffers said he was participating in the exercise as an evaluator and a coach to the different agencies participating. The exercise revolved around a fictional scenario in which a tornado hit the south end of Pittsburg, damaging Meadowbrook Mall, several buildings on the PSU campus, and overturned a tanker truck leaking hazardous materials near the campus of PSU.

"I was there ... to help along some of their personnel that weren't too familiar with the whole process of setting up a national incident or an incident command system," Jeffers said.

Jeffers, a Kansas certified emergency manager and trainer for incident command systems, said he was there to help each agency evaluate their own individual disaster plans and identify where changes needed to be made. He added it also was beneficial to see how the agencies of Crawford County compared to those of Bourbon County as far as what was assets were available.

A similar exercise is being planned to take place in Bourbon County this fall, as well as a second exercise of a smaller scale, according to Jeffers.

He said the first disaster which the first exercise will revolve around will be kept a secret for now, however he said that is will involved all fire departments, Fort Scott Police Department, the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, and many other agencies throughout the county. The second exercise will be geared more toward first responders and will focus on a train derailment.

"I think the first one will be a big eye opener for everybody," Jeffers said.

Jeffers added that he is working on a three-year plan, which will begin with "tabletop" exercises -- like the one held in Pittsburg -- and work up to realistic simulations with real people acting out a disaster which would take place over several days.

Jeffers said the purpose of the exercises are to evaluate disaster reaction plans and compare them across the county, and communication between the agencies is key.

"We always say that a disaster is local ... but there comes a point where in a disaster you have to ask for assistance," he said.