Davis officials train for emergency

The situation was bad and kept getting worse. First a train collision, then a hazardous material spill, dangerous weather and a hostage situation.

While the accidents and emergencies were only simulated, pressure was real for Davis County officials — forced to react to the events with precision and confidence.

"It was stressful," said Davis County Commissioner Dannie McConkie. "The scenario was so real that it was stressful."

McConkie was one of 21 employees of Davis County selected to attend an intensive emergency management course in Emmitsburg, Md., last week. The course included four days of in-class training, one of which was spent reacting to several simulated emergencies.

Travel costs were funded by the federal government.

In a report from Maryland, all three Davis commissioners described their experiences as educational. They pledge to share what they learned with officials that didn't attend the conference.

Hardest challenge: coordinating and interpreting messages during their simulated experiences, then relaying those messages to the media and public.

"One of the things we experienced early on was that the communication was not getting up to the policy group," said Commissioner Carol Page. "The people in the field and the operations seemed to communicate well, but the information wasn't getting to the policymakers and what information we received was very contradictory and confusing. It helped us realize we need to verify all information before acting on it."

While the county hasn't experienced a major emergency, all three commissioners say they feel better prepared to respond in a crisis after the training course. "In a perfect world, we would never use this," said Commissioner Alan Hansen, "but it's good to have this training and information."

Two years ago, Davis Commissioner Dannie McConkie attended a similar training course with the Emergency Management Institute. In addition to the 21 county employees, other Davis agencies sent representatives, including Layton City and emergency responders from south Davis County.

This is the first time that several within the county attended the course together.

The Emergency Management Institute is shared by several administrations that are part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. FEMA is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com