St. Ansger Rescue Training

A St. Ansger fireman rushes a victim out of the smoke-filled school during a training exercise.

Emergency responders face multiple challenges

At 2:08 PM on Sunday, February 19^th, St. Ansgar Police Chief Lance Shuttjer receives a citizen’s report of a possible medical problem in the gymnasium of the St. Ansgar Middle School. Mitchell County Communications Center dispatches St. Ansgar Rescue. Upon arrival, first responders encounter thick smoke throughout the school and request assistance from St. Ansgar Fire Department. Victims lay in the dense smoke; some motionless, others screaming. In this small town of 900 people, word of the school explosion travels quickly. Parents, concerned for their child’s safety, rush to the scene. About a half mile away a small car rolls into a steep ditch coming to rest on its roof. All four occupants are trapped inside. The emergency responders now face multiple challenges in not one, but two critical incidents.

In the end everyone, ‘victims’ included, leave the scene unharmed. It is all part of a well orchestrated training exercise designed to prepare firefighters, EMTs, first responders, and other emergency personal in dealing with life-threatening situations while making split-second decisions.

Marty Partcher, a Charles City Firefighter and director of Floyd County Search and Rescue coordinated the training scenario. Assisting Partcher in the day’s activities were several members of Floyd County Search and Rescue.

Click here for additional photos from the training exercise.

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Photo © by Allen Murray