Just a drill: Coast Guard, other agencies team up for mass casualty training on Milwaukee's lakefront
Coast Guard, other agencies team up for mass casualty training on Milwaukee`s lakefront
Coast Guard, other agencies team up for mass casualty training on Milwaukee`s lakefront
MILWAUKEE -- It was a whole lot of practice for something they hope they never have to actually do. Numerous emergency responders were out on Milwaukee's lakefront for a mass casualty training drill on Thursday, March 2nd.
Coast Guard training
The Coast Guard led the operation but for a response to something so severe, they needed help from a lot of other places. "It is absolutely a worst-case scenario," said U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Paul Grotelueschen,"This is something where the Coast Guard can't do it alone, so we're going to rely on the local partners in Milwaukee, the state of Wisconsin." The drill allowed first responders to practice their response to a commercial plane going down in Lake Michigan. The Coast Guard, along with the Wisconsin DNR, and the Milwaukee police and fire departments had to work together to rescue and recover the 75 people on board.
Coast Guard training
"We are tracking how many patients, how many that we got out of the water, what locations that they're being transported to as far as emergency hospitals," said Lieutenant Bill Paulin, Milwaukee Fire Department.
Coast Guard training
The Milwaukee Fire Department operated a mobile command center, taking in the transmissions from the dive crews out on the water. "Training like this is absolutely great for us because you never know when a real-life exercise is gonna happen," said Paulin. Training is especially important for lake rescues in icy, unpredictable conditions. Afterward, the agencies would get together for what was called a "hot wash."
Coast Guard training
"That's where we're going to talk through the lessons learned, what we did well, what we need to improve on in case this actually happened in real life," said Grotelueschen. "The only way we can be as professional as we are is by training, training, and training," said Paulin.
Coast Guard training
Coast Guard officials said they usually do one major exercise like this each year, rotating between each of the Great Lakes. The last time they had a drill this big in Lake Michigan was 2012.