BEAVER TOWNSHIP Emergency professionals given plaques for mock disaster exercise

About 250 people participated in the July event.
NORTH LIMA -- Earlier this year, emergency professionals in Beaver Township proved they have what it takes to keep area residents safe.
Walter Duzzny of the Mahoning County Disaster Services recently presented plaques to Carl Frost, police chief, and Gary Borman, fire chief, in recognition of their participation in a mock disaster effort sponsored by the Office of Homeland Security. The July 22 event was designed to test the skills of local emergency personnel.
Duzzny said it also served to "evaluate those individuals' common-sense responses to crisis scenarios.
"These gentlemen went above and beyond what was expected of them. From planning [the event] to participating in all aspects of it, they were very significant in making it a successful exercise."
Significance
Duzzny said the exercise was significant because emergency personnel were called to respond to simultaneous emergencies -- a chemical spill on the Ohio Turnpike near Route 7 and a situation involving a group of dissident individuals at the local airport. He said about 250 people participated, including representatives from area police and fire departments, specialized emergency and crisis response teams and area hospitals. Local health boards, professional counselors and agencies also assisted.
"This was one of the few times, and one of the first exercises in Ohio, that was multisited, dealing with more than one incident," Duzzny said. "And it was very impressive how these people handled it all."
Duzzny said Beaver Township officials offered to host the event, which was funded by federal dollars, after hearing about it at a Mahoning County Fire Chiefs Association meeting. Area officials spent about four months planning the exercise. An independent agency based in Washington, D.C. will provide a thorough report on the township's overall performance within the next several months.