MSU President's Newspaper Column 

September 18, 2021

 Emergency training event provides opportunities for learning and preparation

We at Mayville State had the privilege of hosting an emergency training event on campus Monday, Sept. 13. The event was spearheaded by Traill and Steele County emergency managers Ben Gates and Traill County Sheriff Steve Hunt, who worked together with Heartland Consulting and their representatives to provide a meaningful experience for all who participated.

Heartland Consulting is a North Dakota-based emergency consulting firm that educates and prepares organizations with the knowledge needed to effectively plan and respond to emergency situations. Heartland organized a couple of other informational learning sessions for the group prior to the Sept. 13 training event.

The Sept. 13 evening event included the application of makeup for volunteer actors, a safety meeting, the emergency simulation, and a hotwash activity that included a meal and opportunity for all participants to provide their feedback. Representatives of Heartland followed along with each of the emergency entities involved during the simulation so they could track activity and provide advice and opportunities for improvement for each of the major groups.

The safety of our students, faculty, and staff at Mayville State is priority #1. Having an opportunity to be integrally involved with a simulated event such as the one held on Sept. 13 is invaluable. While we have emergency and safety plans in place, the event forced the need to explore and investigate whether all of the bases are covered. This was a great learning opportunity for emergency personnel as well as for us at Mayville State.

The scenario for this training event involved someone maliciously throwing a hazardous chemical at students who were gathered in a science lab, then running his car through the gathering of those students who ran outside in search of shelter after coming into contact with the chemical. There were burn injuries, as well as injuries that resulted when the suspect drove his car through the crowd. About a dozen Mayville State students, faculty, and staff served as actors in the scenario.

We are grateful to the many emergency personnel who took part in the simulation, including EMS from West Traill Ambulance, as well as ambulance squads from Northwood and Finley. Fire departments from Mayville, Portland, Hillsboro, Northwood, Reynolds, Hillsboro, Devils Lake, and Grand Forks were involved, as were law enforcement personnel from Traill County and Steele County. (My apologies to those I may have missed.) I would estimate that more than 100 people participated, including public information officers for Traill County, Jim Murphy and Alyssa Short.

As the scene unfolded, I gathered key Mayville State personnel and administrators who were involved with logistics, facilities, student life, public information, and decision-making. Our group worked closely with the emergency personnel to go through the steps we would have taken had this been an actual emergency. I became the incident commander for the university, while Mayville Fire Chief Aaron Lande was the overall incident commander.

Our public information officers organized a press conference as part of the simulation. The questions posed to us as incident commanders were pointed and real. We were forced to be at the top of our game and to really think about how we would respond to the hundreds of questions and issues that would arise in an actual emergency situation. While it is easy to have a plan on paper and know in your mind how you would handle an emergency situation, things aren’t as simple as a well-thought-out plan when in a more realistic emergency environment.

Again, I am grateful to all who played a part in this emergency training event. I especially thank our Mayville State employees who volunteered their time in the rain to be involved with this event. We could never be over-prepared for emergency situations. The opportunity to practice in a very real environment becomes extremely important. We look forward to the spring when we will host an additional emergency training event, this one focused on an active shooter situation.