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Bio-hazard threat tests EMS response, proving “practice makes perfect”
The possibility of a bio-hazard at the Clarksville Police Department Monday night brought into sharp relief the effectiveness of ongoing emergency preparedness training by multiple agencies in our community.
Within a minutes of finding a possible biological threat, the Police Department had locked it doors, effectively isolating everyone potentially exposed to the threat and quarantining the threat itself. Fire Department crews and a broad range of emergency management personnel arrived with all the bells and whistles, cordoning off streets, and calling in support from Fort Campbell’s HazMat team. Everyone had a job to do, and did it well, and that job, which began with containment and the establishment of a perimeter, also included some down time just waiting for the analysis of the substance to be completed.
Just a few months ago, these crews and other agencies in the area including the American Red Cross practiced two mass casualty drills over two days in north Clarksville, one a response to an F-5 tornado, the other a bio-hazard (in that case, a simulated “dirty bomb”) event. Both exercises were deemed “highly successful” and gave EMS workers the opportunity to coordinate and fine tune their response to disaster.
Given today’s political climate and the potential for terrorism, such training is critical. EMS also factors in the logistics of other potential disasters: possible failure of Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky, a seismic event on the New Madrid Fault Line, tornadoes, fires, and a host of natural disasters. Preparedness in many cases is the key to safety and survival.
As Fire and EMS crews converged on the police station Monday, each department performed its function: the lockdown was immediate, roadblocks were set up, a decontamination tent erected, ambulance and medical personnel on scene, bio-hazard specialists on site … efficient, effective and impressive response.
Fortunately, the substance brought to the police station was in fact a non-toxic “Fowl Pox.” Within five hours the station was cleared and re-opened, and those initially quarantined were released.
If there was a benefit to the evening, it was the visible success of the emergency response, the evidence that “practice makes perfect.”
About Christine Anne Piesyk 
In my 40+ years in media, I have worked as feature writer, investigative reporter, editor, publisher, and film/theater/arts critic. I brought my liberal New England activism to Tennessee several years ago, having finally completed a mid-life undergraduate degree in community organizing and women's studies, and an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts with a concentration in Alzheimer's Disease. I served on Future Search Commissions for two colleges and on homelessness for the City of Northampton (MA), where I applied some of my undergrad work in urban planning and community development. I am a member of FreeThinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties. I am a certified storm spotter just because weather fascinates me. In my spare time (define spare time please?) I am a voracious reader, obsessive movie buff, ballroom dancer, and classical music junkie. I also create sci-fi/fantasy and renaissance costumes. I see life as an ongoing opportunity for learning and adventure (one current interest is mastering preparation of foods from India and Southeast Asia). My dream: a return trip to Machu Picchu. After all, the best things still to come. All posts by Christine Anne Piesyk as presented on Clarksville Online are copyright ©2006, 2007, 2008 to the author.
Email: womanspeak@gmail.com
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Biohazard, Clarksville Fire Department, Clarksville Police Department, EMS, Fort Campbell
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