Due to my calling in our ward, I took the CERT training a couple of years ago and because of that, also had the training to be a Davis County Medical Reserve Corps volunteer...and because of that I was invited to participate in our Mock Disaster Drill last Sunday and Monday. The disaster was a terrorist attack on the Front Runner (light rail train) on a Sunday morning. I was assigned to serve at the Family Communication Center so my assignment fell on Monday. It was actually very interesting. We received a brief orientation about the procedures and policies regarding our assignments and then we were given assignments. I was assigned to be in charge of the Family Room and the host volunteers. For four hours we talked to the pretend families about their loved ones and helped them get the information and services that they needed. The drill was done with the sheriffs and police departments, UTA, the FBI, the Health Department, the Red Cross, and a couple of other agencies. The drill was evaluated by State Emergency Prep. experts and after the drill they have us an evaluation. All in all things went pretty well for the first mock disaster that included a Family Communication Center. We had some news coverage and Gary said that he said he saw me standing along the side of the wall during one of our mock briefings. I have to say that I felt much more comfortable lending emotional support than in drills where I was doing first aid and taking "victims" out of the rumble.
The MRC is going to organize a behavioral health unit within the next year and I will be assigned to that group in case of major disasters. These are all things that you need to know...but you hope that you never have to use them!
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