Local Officials Participate in 'Tabletop' Disaster Preparedness Drill

Representatives from multiple agencies convened on Oct. 29 to plan a response to a pipeline emergency. 

The training scenario required participants to establish evacuation areas, control and contain a fuel leak and address other issues.

The drill, required as a condition of state funding for the Barrow County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), included representatives from Barrow County LEPC, Barrow County Emergency Services, Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, Barrow County Community Emergency Response Team, Barrow Regional Medical Center, Barrow County Amateur Radio Emergency Services, City of Winder Public Works, Winder Fire Department, Colonial Pipeline. Northeast Health District –Public Health and the American Red Cross. Observers and evaluators for the drill were representatives of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs and the US Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The Barrow County LEPC is comprised of local agencies and businesses that develop and maintain emergency preparedness plans to address possible hazardous material releases. They are required to host tabletop and full-scale drills annually.

“This type of training goes a long way in preparing the county for any possible hazardous material emergencies,” said Emergency Management Coordinator Penny Clack of Barrow County Emergency Services in a released statement. “It also lets those involved work together to better understand the capabilities of all agencies involved when dealing with this type of emergency.”