Law enforcement agencies statewide to participate in mass casualty exercise

ANNISTON — More than 100 Alabama emergency responders from 37 towns and cities across the state will attend resident training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Feb. 8-13.

the exercise, the students will respond to a mass casualty event in which “injured” role players and human patient simulators are the survivors the students must triage, transport and treat  in the midst of a chaotic situation that is still unfolding.

The exercise will take place in and near the Noble Training Facility, the only hospital in the nation dedicated solely to training. The facility includes an emergency department, emergency operations center, ICU, isolation wards, etc. The responders will train as if they are staff members in a real hospital, responding to the large influx of patients in a very short timeframe. The training ties into real-world events that hospital staffs may encounter, such as active-shooter incidents and natural disasters.

The CDP provides unique, hands-on training to more than 45,000 emergency responders a year from local, state, territorial, and tribal agencies. CDP training for state, local and tribal responders – including the training for the Alabama responders is fully funded by the Department of Homeland Security, including the responders’ travel, lodging and meals.

CDP training is relevant, realistic and advanced. It is training that most responders cannot get at their home agencies. In addition, the CDP has the only hospital in the nation dedicated solely to preparing healthcare, public health and environmental health professionals for mass-casualty events related to terrorism and natural disasters.