Multi Agency Emergency Response Drills

Date and Time of Occurrence: Monday June 15 to Wednesday June 17, 2009

For three days this week first responders in Delaware responded to thee different rescue drills in two locations in the state to test their ability to work together. Participants in the rescues included The Delaware State Police , The Wilmington Police , The Wilmington Fire Department , DNREC , Priority One Air Rescue , The Slaughter Beach Fire Department , The Lewes Fire Department , The United States Coast Guard and The Delaware Bay Launch Service.

The drills included rescues by the Wilmington Fire Department on the Brandywine River using "Rescue One" and the Delaware State Police helicopter "Trooper Five Heavy. "

The third day of drills was conducted in the Delaware Bay, in the Anchorage, four miles off shore. The Wilmington Fire Boat , "The Fire Fighter" and The Delaware Bay Launch Service work boat "The Big Stone Pride " were used as hoisting platforms for the State Police Helicopter. In all three drills simulated rescues were made and victims were hoisted into the helicopter for rapid transport to an area Trauma Hospital.

The United States Coast Guard provided a boat for Search and Rescue from Station Indian River. The Slaughter Beach Fire Department provided a fire boat manned by Delaware State Police Divers for water rescue. The Lewes Fire Department provided man power on the Wilmington Fire Department fire boat. The Wilmington Police Department was represented by a specially train paramedic that works as a rescuer on the Delaware State Police Helicopter. The drills were supervised by Priority One Air Rescue , based in Canada . Priority One Air Rescue provides specialty rescue training to Delaware's first responders . The object of the drills was to test the ability of the many different first responders to work together and communicate in the event of a local disaster or emergency.