Drill 2002

 

Home
Up

Drill 2002 - Farm Safety at the Redwood County Fair - August 17, 2002

The Scenario

For this years drill, the Redwood County Fair Board offered to host our drill during the Redwood County Fair.  The theme was to include a farm accident and extra people from the county to help promote a farm safety event.  The drill had been planned over several months.  Several organizations were to take part.  All suddenly changed when the weather the day before became severe...

In order to put this years drill in perspective, you really need to start on the evening before the drill. Starting at about 5:30pm, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Redwood County.  Later that evening, a Tornado Warning.  This photo was taken as the storm passed over Wabasso, MN

Not pictured are members of the Redwood Area Amateur Radio Association that at this moment are providing information directly to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen about this storm.  http://www.wabasso.com/raara
   
This photo take a little later.  We are south of the rain, under the rain free base.  This whole area of the storm was rotating in very large circle.

This storm as well as the one that produced the Tornado warning later in the evening produced 2.5 inches of rain and wind damage at the fair grounds.  The grandstand area where the drill was to be held was one huge mud hole.  This along with a critical cancellation of one of the area crews caused us to reduce the size of the drill and cancel the fair event.
 

All Injuries shown below are fake...  They help add to the realism of the drill...
 

We decided because of the extra work the hospital staff went through to prepare for the drill that it was still important to simulate their portion of the drill.  Six patients were given fake injuries including this broken arm.
   
This patient (Bruce Tolzmann - News Director from KLGR 97.7) was given this nasty head injury.

It takes a good EMT that's been there to make it look this real!
   
Crews from North Ambulance - Redwood Falls, and Wabasso Ambulance prepare to load up these patients for a realistic entry into the hospital.
   
The first patient arrives at the Redwood Area Hospital. 
   
One of our less serious patients being being transferred to one of the exam rooms by a North Ambulance Redwood Falls EMT.
   
North Air-Care lands at the Redwood Area Hospital as part of the drill.

Special Thanks...

Redwood County Department of Emergency Management.  Without Harold and Jim's help, drills  and training opportunities such as this would not be possible.

Schaffman Implement - Supplied a combine and corn head that was to be torn apart by fire rescue.  Even though the plans suddenly changed and the combine was not used, we want to thank you for your extra effort!!!

Redwood County Fair Board
Redwood Area Hospital
North Ambulance - Redwood Falls and Marshall
Wabasso Ambulance
Redwood Area Amateur Radio Association - Helped supply communication between the different sites of the drill.  They also provided communication directly to the National Weather service during the weather warnings the night before.
Staff from KLGR that helped us promote the drill and take part as patients
All of those who volunteered to be patients.
The team that worked over several months to help plan the drill!

Page Created by White Rabbit Technical Service
Copyright © 1999 [White Rabbit Technical Services]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 01/25/03