CLARE - Somewhere inside the elevator at the NEW Cooperative in Clare dust from the movement of grain is filling up a space inside one of the silos.
Air and grain dust in a confined space is nature's dynamite.
Then it happens, something - a spark from static electricity or a defective motor - ignites the mix.
The boom can be heard for miles, windows rattle in nearby homes, chunks of broken concrete shower nearby buildings. Something hot flying away from the explosion ignites another fire in a machine shed. A chunk of cement severely injures a worker in the chemical warehouse when it hits him in the head, knocking him down in a puddle of an unknown - and maybe toxic - chemical. Another worker is trapped in the grain.
Frantic calls are made to 911, a dispatcher at the Law Enforcement Center in Fort Dodge calmly puts the page out to firefighters and rescue personnel.
"We have an explosion in a grain elevator at the NEW Co-op in Clare," the voice would say.
Fortunately, this scenario wasn't real - it was part of a disaster drill that brought together several fire departments, law enforcement agencies and two emergency management agencies.
Tony Jorgensen, coordinator for the Webster County Emergency Management Agency, explained that it's the result of a year of planning, table top disaster drills, planning exercises, meetings with NEW Co-op officials, grant applications and countless phone calls and e-mails to get everything lined up.
"It takes an incredible amount of planning," he said.
It also takes a fair number of people. He estimated that about 100 personnel took part in the exercise. Some served as controllers to help drive the exercise and keep it moving. Others, with experience in firefighting served as evaluators, watching the various firefighters working as they deal with the different scenarios.
Victims were also needed.
Danny Passow, who works for NEW Co-op as a field applicator, ended up severely injured when he answered a simple question posed by a family member.
"You got anything going on Saturday?" he was asked before replying with a "no." "You wanna be a victim then?"
He was wearing two glued on "wounds" along with fake blood on his head. Heavy sweating from the heat and humidity caused one of them to come off as he waited outside the chemical warehouse to be "rescued." He chased it down and set it back in place.
Besides the head wound, he was also supposed to be covered with an unknown chemical, have an altered level of consciousness and be combative. He planned on doing that.
"I'm just going to act normal," he joked.
Dennis Knight, safety and loss control manager for the NEW Co-op also was on hand to take part in the exercise. He explained that the drill not only benefits the various fire departments, it also helps the company deal more effectively with an accident should it occur.
"It's training for both the departments and NEW Co-op," he said.
Brian Foster, Chief of the Barnum Fire Department, was busy with his crew dealing with the fire in the machine shed. As a smoke generator created billowing clouds of smoke, crews attacked the "fire."
He explained that one of the valuable lessons from the exercise was learning what other departments can offer to complement his own.
"Everybody will come away with something," he said.
Tony Jorgensen explained that small volunteer fire departments are held to the same training standards as full-time paid departments, often with much fewer resources.
"Volunteer chiefs have it a lot harder," he said. "I take my hat off to them."
One of the problems encountered in a large-scale disaster for rescue personnel is finding out just what they are dealing with. A real scene can be quite chaotic.
Paul Neeson, with the Region V Hazmat Team and a Fort Dodge firefighter was coordinating the team's efforts in the chemical warehouse.
They maintain radio contact with the incident commander during their response and try to have as much information as possible when they arrive although it may be limited.
"We knew we had an explosion and a person trapped in a chemical building," he said. "That's all we knew."
Once on the scene, they get a list of chemicals from the NEW Co-op, determine which way the wind is blowing and what type of protective gear and decontamination they will need.
Once two team members were suited up, they went into the warehouse and rescued their victim. Before he could be treated, he had to be decontaminated.
Danny Passow didn't mind it when they took off his shoes and socks as he laid on a backboard resting on saw horses. He looked a little worried as they got out scissors and began cutting off his pants and shirt. Then relieved when he realized they were going to leave his shorts untouched.
Then they sprayed him down.
"It was nice and warm when they started, then it got really cold." he said.
Of course, nothing is really done until all the paperwork is finished. After a meeting to go over the exercise, Peg Stickrod, administrative coordinator for the Region V Local Emergency Planning Committee, will get to do just that.
"I get to write a big report to send to the state," she said.
Funding for the exercise came from a U.S. Department of Transportation grant dispersed through the Iowa Homeland Security Administration Emergency Management Division.
Contact Hans Madsen at (515) 573-2141 or hmadsen@messengernews.net
