Cook County High School was locked down on Saturday, April 25 as firefighters, paramedics, communication and emergency response professionals responded to a hostile incident as part of the 26th annual Cook County Emergency Services Conference. Law enforcement and medical personnel worked together in the staged aftermath of a shooting, with law enforcement protecting the EMTs and First Responders as they cared for victims.
A car-propane truck crash, a water rescue and a hostile incident at the local school all took place nearly simultaneously last weekend. Local emergency responders were put to the test in these dramatic situations, which fortunately were just training at the 26th annual Cook County Emergency Services Conference on Friday – Saturday, April 24-25.
Crisis at Cook County Middle School
Over the course of two days more than 55 law enforcement, U.S. and Canadian Border Patrol, firefighters, paramedics, communication and emergency response professionals from around northern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada participated in 3 ECHO Hostile Event Response Training at Cook County Middle School. More than 20 Law Enforcement Foundation students from Confederation College in Thunder Bay participated as role players in the exercise.
During a lockdown at Cook County Middle School emergency responders from 19 different agencies learned about—and practiced the skills needed to respond to—hostile events such as mass shootings and bombings. The life-like, real-time training was based on a school shooting and bomb blast scenario and included simulated gun-fire.
This year’s recipient of the Dolly Johnson Friend of Emergency Services Award was Cook County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher Doug Gale. (L-R) Dolly Johnson’s daughter Kelly Roberts, Doug Gale, Emergency Services Director Jim Wiinanen presented the award at the Saturday night banquet.
Jonathan Bundt, lead 3 ECHO instructor, said that the training brings together different levels of government and multiple jurisdictions that would respond to such an incident. As simulated gunshots echoed down the hall in one exercise and law enforcement students posed as bombing victims in another, Bundt explained the training is not “active shooter” training. Instead, the training focuses on the aftermath of such incidents.
“The purpose of the course is to teach a new integrated practice to first responders in the first 30 minutes of a hostile event situation where there are viable victims to reduce morbidity and mortality,” said Bundt.
“As unfortunate as it is, the reality is these scenarios happen, are real, and require highly specialized response,” said Jim Wiinanen, Cook County emergency director. “The annual conference provided a great opportunity to deliver the training and collaborate across all jurisdictions in the north. We are fortunate to be able to welcome the 3ECHO team to Cook County and draw on their expertise.”
Horrific crash at the Rec Park
As law enforcement and emergency medical workers dealt with the hostile event at the school, firefighters and EMTs were faced with a tipped over school bus and a vehicle crash at the Grand Marais Rec Park.
The terrible crash was set up by Lake City Towing of Superior, Wisconsin, which provided the school bus and propane truck and set up the scene. Firefighters from Cook County and Ontario, Canada worked together to extricate a “victim” from the car crushed by the propane truck. The rescue was performed under the supervision of Jeff Mayer and Phil Olson of Mesabi College/ Advanced Minnesota.
Joe Peterson of the Hovland Fire Department, which put together the vehicle on-vehicle extrication training—and fixed a barbecue lunch at the Rec Park— expressed appreciation to everyone else who helped.
He said huge thanks go to Lake City Towing, which brought all of the vehicles to Grand Marais at their own expense. Peterson expressed appreciation to Grand Portage which supplied the car to be wrecked by the propane truck. He said thanks also go to the Grand Marais Fire Department which brought its pumper for the training and a grill for lunch; to Colvill Fire Department for bringing its rescue rig and extrication tools; to the Grand Marais Campground for use of the Rec Park; to David Smith for cleaning up the pieces of the wrecked car; and Gene’s Foods for donating some of the food for lunch.
Before and after lunch prepared by the Hovland STOP team, Lake City Towing operators and the Advance Minnesota instructors offered practical advice on how to deal with complicated crash situations.
Lutsen demonstrates ResQmax
Members of the Lutsen Fire Department gave a presentation on the rescue equipment their department recently purchased. Lutsen firefighter John Groth explained that after last winter’s tragic drownings in Tofte, the fire department wanted to find something that could possibly prevent a similar incident.
Groth searched the Internet for an effective way to get a life preserver out to a person in the water out of throwing reach. He found a ResQmax rope launcher, which uses air from firefighter air tanks and CO2 cartridges to shoot a rescue rope up to 300 feet from shore. The ResQmax also propels a small rescue ring designed to inflate after three seconds in the water.
Lutsen firefighter Larry McNeally fired the ResQmax out over the Grand Marais harbor and observers watched as the life preserver popped open.
Groth said the Lutsen Fire Department would be willing to give other demonstrations and noted that having the ResQmax at area resorts and at places at Temperance River could save a life.
Emergency responders recognized
The Emergency Services Conference wraps up each year with a delicious dinner, prepared once again this year by Garry and Renee Gamble.
After dinner, some time was taken to award the “Dolly Johnson Friends of Emergency Services Award,” the award given in remembrance of the long-time dispatcher and friend to emergency workers. This year’s recipient was Law Enforcement Dispatcher Doug Gale. Emergency Management Director Wiinanen said Gale was nominated not only for his conscientious work as dispatcher, but also for his positive attitude at work. Wiinanen joked, “No one can get ‘good morning’ out to Doug before he says, ‘Good morning, have a great day.’”
Gale said he was honored to receive the award and told Kelly Roberts, Johnson’s daughter, “Dolly left us before I started working at the law enforcement center, but I’ve heard so much about her. We have her picture there and she watches over us.”
Through the years there has been a speaker from the emergency services field. This year there was a different twist—instead of a guest speaker, dinner attendees were treated to a video created by Duluth television station WDIO about the role of emergency services personnel in Cook County. Along with news clips from the historic July 4 blowdown and the Ham Lake wildfire, were brief interviews with local emergency personnel and greetings from WDIO news personnel thanking emergency workers for all they do for the Arrowhead region. The video can be seen at www.wdio.com/article/stories/s3778112.shtml.
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