The sounds of fire alarms, emergency vehicle sirens and walkie-talkies will resonate through part of West Virginia Universitys Evansdale Campus June 26-28 as a series of three mock disaster drills take place at the former St. Francis High School.

The scenario involves a simulated chemical spill in the schools third-floor chemistry lab in which toxic substances have spilled and noxious fumes have escaped. Hazardous materials teams will arrive on the site, secure the area, prepare to assist theinjuredand clean up the dangerous chemicals.

The drill, a joint effort between WVU s Environmental Health and Safety unit, Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Morgantown Fire Department, will help evaluate the effectiveness of the three crews as they work together, communicate about the situation and determine a solution.

Each unit has a specific role they play in this type of emergency. The DPS would help establish a parameter and control the crowds and flow of traffic to ensure the safety of the emergency crews, University employees, students and the public. The Morgantown Fire Department would assume responsibility of the site upon their arrival and enter the building to assess and handle the situation inside. The technicians with Environmental Health and Safety would serve as consultants for the fire department, providing advice and information about the chemicals and potential dangers.

Once the alarms go off the Department of Public Safety will probably be the first on the sceneespecially since this will take place in Evansdale,said Roger Wright, training specialist.As the fire department arrives they would immediately set up a command center and dress in chemical suits. They would enter the lab and the chemical experts from our department would help assess the situation and recommend safe handling and clean up procedures.

The goal of the mock disaster is to improve the technical experience, working relationship and communication between the three separate units.

The more interaction between these departments, the better the communication and response will be,Wright said.By holding a test we can see what things go well and what areas we need to better develop or train on so if this happens for real, we are as ready as possible.

The building was chosen as the site for the drill because the parking area provides ample room for emergency equipment and fire engines and the gymnasium will serve as staging for the command center. The building also has an old chemistry lab that will help simulate a realistic environment.

The more we can make this drill look and feel like the real thing, the more impact and value it has as a training exercise,Wright noted.From the environment to the people playing injured victims and even reporterswe want this to feel like an actual disaster to better help our crews learn from the experience.

Once the drill is complete the teams will meet and discuss the days events in order to identify training opportunities and communication issues.

The drills will be occurring for three days in order to train the three separate crews each department has on staff.