Emergency officials test plan

From the Friday, Oct. 24, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Emergency officials test plan
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

SPRING GROVE – It started as a train engine derailment near Route 12 and Blivin Street in Spring Grove. As the scene unfolded, emergency officials learned that diesel fuel leaked from the train, the fuel contaminated the water, and the train intentionally was derailed by a domestic terrorist who claimed the incident was “God’s will.”

It was all part of a simulated disaster exercise that more than 20 officials from Spring Grove, Hebron, Richmond and the county participated in Thursday to test Spring Grove’s disaster reaction plan.

Each participant was assigned a role, and they sat around a round table acting as they would if the incident were happening.

“It’s a good thing to do these things to prepare,” said Richmond Police Chief John Fryksdale, who played the role of a public information officer.

After the exercise, the group discussed ways to improve their performance and continue to plan for disasters.

Bob Ellsworth, assistant director of McHenry County Emergency Management, stressed the importance of making sure that not every firefighter and police officer was at the scene, in case other emergencies occur.

“Somebody’s got to stay back and deal with the real world,” Ellsworth said.

Hebron Police Chief Dale Egland was among the participants. He said that although Hebron officials were willing to help, their distance from Spring Grove would cause a slow response time.

Spring Grove officials responded by suggesting that they improve their mutual aid agreements with nearby communities such as Round Lake and Wauconda.

The group also discussed which public officials can declare evacuations, and the challenges evacuations pose because Illinois doesn’t have mandatory evacuations.

“It’s a major problem,” said Spring Grove Fire Chief Rich Tobiasz, who led the event and played the role of a dispatcher. “Nobody wants to leave their home.”

Overall, participants seemed pleased with their performance.

“It’s good to ... build a foundation,” Fryksdale said.