The all-day drill is the culmination of months of cooperative planning involving several different agencies in the event of a widespread, catastrophic earthquake. This particular exercise had team members responding to a bus accident with volunteer victims on the bus.
The West Skagit CERT group has spear-headed the effort to bring together resources and input from several different Fire Districts, the Skagit County Dept. of Emergency Management, Island Hospital, the Anacortes Police and Fire Departments, the Swinomish Tribe, the Skagit County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, the Medical Reserve Corp., the Anacortes Auxiliary Patrol and other private and governmental groups.
The drill was designed to allow volunteers from the CERT group to practice the skills they will need to rely upon in the event of an actual emergency. CERT members will get a chance during the drill to work on Urban Search and Rescue, Fire Suppression and Medical Assessment. They will also be able to interface with members of the other participating groups just as they would in an actual emergency callout.