July 17, 2024 |
Photo – Saratoga Days crowd – Courtesy Los Cheesies Instagram
County and town officials used Saratoga Days to prepare for an emergency.
Two weeks ago, the town of Saratoga held its annual summertime celebration called Saratoga Days. The free festivities feature games and live music, drawing large crowds to the small town over the 4th of July.
This year, the Saratoga Police Department teamed up with the Carbon County Office of Emergency Management and South Central Wyoming EMS. The agencies used the concert to plan for a worst-case scenario.
Emergency Manager Lenny Layman said the three agencies used Saratoga Days as a planning exercise to develop an incident action plan, or IAP.
Layman said the incident action plan allowed everyone involved with Saratoga Days to know exactly what to do in case of an emergency. The county emergency manager said the IAP can be used as a jumping off point to improve safety during next year’s event.
Layman said after the weekend celebration ended, the agencies met to complete an after-action report and to discuss suggested improvements needed to make the event safer. The emergency manager said information gathered from the exercise will allow everyone to be better prepared for next year’s festivities.
Layman said no other municipality has taken the opportunity to use a large gathering as an emergency preparedness exercise.
Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris said developing an incident action plan takes time and effort. However, Chief Morris said experience gained through the exercise made the effort worthwhile.
The North Platte Valley Medical Center was also involved with the Saratoga Days emergency exercise. SCWEMS Director Stayton Mosbey said the clinic was well prepared to accept additional patients in the event of a disaster.
Director Mosbey said the Saratoga clinic was also given communication equipment to allow staff to monitor the event in real time.
Police Chief Morris said specific radio tones were used to alert emergency responders to a variety of situations at the scene.
Emergency Manager Layman said the Saratoga Days exercise gave him the opportunity to showcase some of the assets and equipment available through his department. Layman mentioned Orion Mobile, a damage assessment software that allows him to catalog an incident using pictures and Federal Emergency Management Agency-approved documentation. The software can also be used before an emergency to formulate an action plan for future use, said Layman.
The county-wide mass notification system Alert Sense was used during Saratoga Days. Layman said participants could text a keyword to Alert Sense and receive event specific updates.
The same system can be used to provide participants with information during an emergency.
Layman said 147 people temporarily opted in to the Alert Sense program during Saratoga Days.
The county emergency manager said preplanning is essential for disaster preparedness. Layman thanked Chief Morris for understanding the importance of preparing for an emergency before it happens.
Chief Morris, Emergency Manager Layman, and SCWEMS Director Mosbey said lessons learned during this year’s Saratoga Days emergency exercise will be used to make next year’s event safer for everyone.
