Wayland Fire, Police Departments Host Tabletop Exercise to Train in Emergency Response

WAYLAND — Fire Chief Neil McPherson and Police Chief Ed Burman report that members of the Wayland Fire and Police Departments, along with Town of Wayland employees, participated in a tabletop exercise on Oct. 16 to test readiness and increase interdepartmental communications.

In the presented exercise scenario, a Town Hall worker accidentally mixed two cleaning solvents, causing a chemical reaction. This prompted an immediate evacuation of about 200 people from the Town Hall building, including students in the Wayland Public School’s Children’s Way preschool program.

Chief McPherson led the discussion, guiding about 20 participants to consider a number of questions. Who assumes the role of incident commander?  How do we effectively share the severity of the incident with the community without causing concern? How do we handle media inquiries?

Participants also raised potential challenges. Who will ensure everyone has been evacuated? Where do we move employees and preschoolers? How do we reunite children and families? How do we reach emergency contacts if we don’t have access to that information? If the Town Hall is closed for an extended time, how do we maintain services to residents?

“These exercises are a vital part of emergency preparedness. We train so that we are ready to respond and collaborate effectively when every second counts,” Chief McPherson said. “We always have to train for these responses even though they may never occur.”

The exercise provided a low-stress, no-fault environment where problem-solving solutions were emphasized, and differing viewpoints were encouraged. The exercise ended with a review of the discussion and a list of action items to promote continuous improvement.

“If there is a critical incident everyone involved has their own area of responsibility and set of concerns and priorities, and it’s important we communicate well,” Chief Burman said. “There are so many factors to consider in crisis management, and I believe everyone left with a better understanding and new perspectives.”

Plans are to hold future tabletop exercises at least annually.

Chief McPherson and Chief Burman thank the participants and recognize the support of representatives of the Community Emergency Response Team and Local Emergency Planning Committee.