'Operation Bad Chemistry' Mass Casualty Drill Held In Southampton

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Communication and preparation are key in a mass casualty incident situation. To that end, the Southampton Fire Department hosted a multi-agency tabletop training, "Operation Bad Chemistry," to help first responders prepare for an actual life-threatening emergency in the village.

The training, hosted at the Southampton Fire Department Friday, tested current mass casualty plans in a controlled environment. The goal was to test local response plans and determine deficiencies that need to be addressed and improved upon, officials said.

"Operation Bad Chemistry" focused on what would happen should a complex fire in the chemistry lab break out in Southampton High School.

"The scenario was developed from an automatic fire alarm, to a hazardous material incident with affected students due to an incident in the chemistry lab during class," officials said.

Attending the training were representatives from the Southampton Fire Department, Southampton Village Police, Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance, the Southampton Union Free School District, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital's emergency management team, Southampton Town emergency management, the Southampton Town fire marshal's office, the Suffolk County Office of Emergency management, and Suffolk County Fire Rescue's communications division.

Those representatives "played out" the scenario using maps, photos, and a timeline based on possible conditions. The drill was hosted by Southampton Fire Department Chief Alfred Callahan and Southampton Hospital Emergency Management Manager Frank Milza.

"Several evaluators watched silently as the scenario played out and took detailed notes on parts of the system that need addressing," officials said.

The incident command system, or ICS, is a national framework that all emergency service personnel at all levels across the nation must take at its basic levels, officials said. Its implementation is designed to facilitate the management of incidents no matter the complexity, both in an emergency and for planned events such as parades, officials said.

"The number one issue that faces emergency responders in a complex, interagency incident is always communication," officials said. "Establishing a joint command post with representatives from all agencies present is vital."

During the drill, the need for information distribution was also identified; various systems that are in place already were identified, to ensure information flows consistently and properly to both the public and officials, as it is available.

While resources are in place and available, the training identified the need for further plan development, officials said.

Next steps include a more involved live drill where the scenario is run with live communications and information flowing in real time, followed by a full drill with departments participating in live time at the school with responders, officials, and students in a full-scale drill. Each step will include improvements identified in each training and a final test of the newly developed plan for final refinement.

The training is a culmination of two years of meetings that have been hosted behind the scenes with local emergency responder leadership and other officials to identify low frequency, high-risk incidents that "often don't get the attention needed," officials said. Incidents ranging from large fires in the hospital to cyberattacks and terrorism were rated during a risk assessment of the village, officials explained.

"This was the first of many scenarios local agencies will be planning and refining in the hopes of having better plans and a fully coordinated response should it be needed for these very complex incidents," officials said. "The hope is that the local community will see the kind of effort going into the planning of a safe community and more efficient use and response of all agencies involved. The shared goal of all the agencies involved Friday is to be proactive instead of reactive."