Lyndon State College Hosts Mass Casualty Drill

To: Caledonian-Record, Burlington Free Press, TV News 7, The Critic

Subject: Lyndon State College Hosts Mass Casualty Drill.

Lyndon State College News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELESAE

May 4, 2010

Lyndon State College Hosts Mass Casualty Drill

Lyndonville, Vermont. - It was Friday afternoon when Lyndon State College Health Services reported 12 students sick with possible food poisoning. Within a couple of hours there were hundreds of sick students. The college called in multiple agencies to assist with the situation and classes were canceled. This was the disaster drill that Lyndon State College held in conjunction with Lyndon Rescue, Calex Ambulance and other agencies.

The disaster drill is an annual event organized by the college. This year there were several agencies and a number of classes from the college involved with the drill. The classes that attended were being taught by Professors Dan Williams and Peggy Sherrer. These classes covered how to respond to disasters in human services, as journalists, and public relations professionals. This drill was the capstone for these classes offering students experience in a simulated disaster. The agencies from outside the college that were present included Calex Ambulance, Lyndon Rescue, American Red Cross and Home Land Security. There were also agencies that were involved in an advisory role but were not on scene [in a real disaster they would have stepped in]. These agencies include Vermont Department of Health, the Vermont State Police, Northern Vermont Regional Hospital and the Vermont State Colleges Office, etc. All of these agencies worked together to provide the best care for the patients during this incident. The college provided the updated information as it became available to staff, students, parents and members of the surrounding communities.

The purpose of this drill is to give students, staff, rescue organizations and the college administration an opportunity to practice their emergency action plan skills in real life scenarios. There were students working on the public relations end, reporting on the event and the impact on the public. This exercise is a good way to prepare the college community to respond to mass casualties and other emergency situations. This is also an excellent opportunity for local rescue agencies to practice their skills and for meeting state requirements for training and education. For more information contact:

Susan C. Gallagher

802-626-6400

Susan.Gallagher@lyndonstate.edu