BLACKSBURG, Va. – Members of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad participated in a full-scale drill of a simulated accident.
It was a chance for several agencies to learn from one another.
More than 70 first responders from the Blacksburg Fire Department, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and other agencies worked with 50 volunteers who played injured victims.
Michael Geary, chief of the rescue squad, said the No. 1 challenge during the simulation was communication among the agencies.
“Were really trying to find weaknesses within our own plan. Before the drill even took place we already found some weaknesses. Communication was an area we could improve on,” Geary said.
The Virginia Tech Rescue Squad currently handles an average of 1,200 calls per year.
“So this is really important. You see this happening throughout the world now. The reason for this was to get our first responders prepared in the event that something like this could happen at a football game,” Geary said.
Geary hopes this exercise will help first responders to better manage an incident of this magnitude.