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South Salem Participates In Battalion 16 Drill
By 2nd Assistant Chief Andrew Llewellyn
April 13, 2008
On the morning of Sunday, April 13th, nine fire departments as well as six volunteer ambulance agencies were part of a large scale MCI (mass casualty incident) Battalion 16 drill hosted by the Katonah Fire Department. This drill simulated an explosion and partial collapse at the Katonah Elementary School. Aside from fire departments and ambulance agencies, many other resources were utilized, including the Westchester County Field Comm. unit. South Salem responded with Car 2453 and Rescue 21, as per Katonah Fire Departments pre-plan.
Upon arrival, the R-21 crew reported to the command post and was sent to the second floor to conduct a secondary search. They were then directed to search a kindergarten classroom on the first floor. During the search, FF Veit simulated a Firefighter Down scenario and a "Mayday" was issued. The Yorktown FD FASTeam (who were standing by at the front of the building) was activated and preceded to search for FF Veit. They were able to located and assist him out of the building.
Once all the "victims" were located and triaged, the crews began to pack up. All emergency personnel relocated to the Katonah Firehouse for food and a debriefing.
Each County Battalion hosts large drills throughout the year to help maintain and improve the skills of the firefighters as well as giving neighboring departments the chance to work together.
