Polk County News
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 15, 2016 5A
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Dr. Marion Hull checks a volunteer victim’s status tag on Thursday in Grand Ronde.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde set up a mock medical center to test plans.
Quake: Drill found ‘gaps’
Continued from Page 1A
“That gives us that per-
spective,” Baxter said. “What
are we missing?”
Grand Ronde’s Cascadia
Rising exercise took place on
the third day of the after-
math of a simulated 9.0
earthquake off the West
Coast. An influx of people
escaping the coast are arriv-
ing and the walking wound-
ed are finding their way to
newly established emer-
gency operations centers, or
EOCs, offering triage and
medical services.
For the drill, casualties are
33 dead, numerous injured
and a reported $14 million
in damages, including the
complete destruction of the
tribal governance building.
In a likely scenario given
what happened after the 9.0
earthquake and tsunami
that hit Japan five years ago,
Spirit Mountain Casino was
designated as a shelter.
“ W h e n t h e Ja p a n e s e
tsunami occurred and there
was a fear that it was also
going to hit the Oregon
Coast, we had a couple hun-
dred people show up at the
casino to wait it out,” said
Dean Rhodes, the exercise’s
public information officer.
The casino has a supply of
cots on hand, but Thursday’s
exercise was designed for
contingencies, too.
“What’s our plan B for that?
What if that building or com-
plex is harmed, structurally
harmed, beyond what we
would anticipate?” said Rick
George, the tribe’s planning
director who also was coordi-
nating the EOC Thursday.
Professional and volun-
teer emergency responders
said the exercise allowed
them to get to know each
other and work together.
“There is not a whole lot
of opportunities for this,”
said Lifeguard flight para-
medic Amy Lenz. “This is
great for us.”
Members of the air ambu-
lance crew, consisting of a
pilot, paramedic and flight
nurse, explained proper pa-
tient loading technique to
volunteer emergency respon-
ders and landing procedures
to West Valley firefighters who
participated Thursday.
Grand Ronde Police Chief
Jake McKnight said the sce-
nario made the plans on
paper more realistic.
“I think it helps to prac-
tice, to see what you will ac-
tually be doing,” he said.
Thursday’s exercise and
those conducted in the past
pointed out another need:
trained volunteers such as
CERT teams.
“That’s going to be really
important that people are
trained so you don’t have to
train them onsite,” he said.
“When they get here to vol-
unteer, they already have an
idea what they are going to
be doing.”
Patrick Dempsey, Grand
Ronde CERT team coordina-
tor, said scenarios like
Thursday’s makes for the
best training.
For more on this story, in-
cluding a photo gallery:
polkio.com.
Dallas Fire & EMS Annual
FATHER’S DAY Breakfast
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