Carroll County EMA hosts exercise involving 17 agencies, 75 personnel
Emergency responders from multiple agencies gather during a briefing at an EOG Resources well pad on Cactus Road in Monroe Township as part of a full-scale emergency response exercise May 9.Submitted Photo
Tom Cottis, left, and Dustin Lucas of the Carroll County Emergency Management Agency take part in a post-drill briefing May 9 following a full-scale emergency exercise.Thomas Clapper
The Carroll County Emergency Management Agency conducted a full-scale emergency response exercise May 9 on an EOG Resources well pad on Cactus Road in Monroe Township, bringing together multiple agencies to test coordination and preparedness in a simulated emergency.
The exercise involved 17 agencies and approximately 75 personnel, including dispatchers, making it one of the largest training events of its kind held in the county.
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The three-hour drill simulated a real emergency and included coordinated responses from fire, EMS, law enforcement, county, state and national partners, along with industry representatives.
Evaluators from Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes, Portage, Stark and Tuscarawas counties were also on hand to observe the exercise and provide feedback.
The exercise included participation from local fire departments in Dellroy, Carrollton and Sherrodsville, EMT Ambulance, Aultman Hospital and EOG Resources, along with the Carroll County Emergency Management Agency, Sheriff’s Office, Haz-Mat Team, Health District and Engineers Office. State agencies included the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas, with support from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh and the American Red Cross.
As part of the training, a portion of Cactus Road was closed to ensure the safety of both participants and the public.
Emergency responders and officials gather at Dellroy Fire Department for a post-drill review following a full-scale emergency response exercise May 9.Thomas Clapper
Key components of the exercise included operations at the incident site, coordination through 911 dispatch, activation of the county’s Emergency Operations Center at the new Carroll County EMA headquarters at the annex building and a mock hospital setup at Dellroy Fire Department.
During the drill, Carroll County EMA Director Tom Cottis operated from the Emergency Operations Center, communicating with EMA Deputy Director Dustin Lucas and coordinating with agencies in the field.
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“This type of full-scale exercise allows us to see our plan in action and find the strengths and weakness of the plan and adjust accordingly,” Cottis said. “It also allows several agencies from different disciplines to work together and show their capabilities when responding to this type of emergency.”
Aultman Hospital assisted with the exercise by setting up a makeshift hospital tent at the Dellroy Fire Department, allowing responders to simulate patient care and transport as part of the scenario.
Matt Kelleher, BA, operations specialist in the safety department of Aultman, said the exercise highlighted the importance of partnerships between agencies and organizations.
“I think it’s a great collaboration for us to work with multiple counties,” Kelleher said. “This is a great opportunity for us to take care of our community and be there for each other.”
Kelleher said the mobile hospital setup is designed to be deployed quickly in real situations.
“We got this all set up probably within 20 minutes today,” he said. “The design is to be pretty expedient.”
He added that in a real emergency, additional resources would be used, including water hookups and temperature controls for decontamination efforts.
Officials said the exercise was designed to test the county’s Emergency Operations Plan and evaluate how agencies work together during a large-scale incident.
Michelle Sowers of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency said the exercise went smoothly and met its objectives.
“The teams all worked well together. They communicated. They checked off everything that they needed to, and it was great to watch them work today,” Sowers said.
Carroll County EMA Deputy Director Dustin Lucas, who organized the exercise, thanked participants for their efforts and commitment to making the scenario realistic.
“I cannot thank you guys enough for doing this. I greatly appreciate it more than you know,” Lucas said. “Short of real fire and smoking chemicals, I tried to make this as life-like as possible, and you guys played along with it, even simulating situations.”
Officials noted the drill provided an opportunity to identify strengths and areas for improvement, with most issues observed being minor and correctable through additional training.
Officials also emphasized the growing role of technology in emergency response, including the use of drones for scene assessment and coordination, noting they are valuable tools for serious operations and not just recreational devices.
A thank you was extended to EOG Resources for its participation in the exercise and for providing food during the post-drill review.
Residents in the area had been notified ahead of time, and emergency alerts were issued before and after the exercise to inform the public.
Lucas said the overall results were positive, with only minor improvements identified.
“All the things we found we can improve on are very small in nature and easy to fix with a couple of trainings. I think things went really well,” Lucas said.
