VIDEO: Multiple emergency service agencies around the La Crosse area took part in a full-scale exercise at UW La Crosseโs Sanford Hall, simulating a fire emergency in a college dorm. While firefighters, officers, and other emergency workers arrive on scene, safety officials watch to make sure everything is done correctly.
La Crosse County Emergency Management Coordinator Seth Wilson says preparation is a major benefit for any department. โBeing able to do it in an environment where itโs an exercise, fault-free environment, this is where you can make mistakes so that when a real emergency happens, mistakes arenโt made.โ
Molly McCormick with the La Crosse Fire Department says this exercise helps departments look for any gaps between departments. โCommunication, whenever youโve got a lot of different agencies involved, can always improve. So, what are ways that we can do better from a fire standpoint but also collaboratively? Is there more planning we can do ahead of time? My goal is that this doesnโt happen, and if it does I want it to go as smooth as possible. Thatโs what today is. Find the gaps and fill them in.โ
