DISASTER:
It's Only A Question of When and How Bad

Fortunately, the scenario was a drill. This earthquake has not happened - yet. The information . . . was from the training material given to the hundreds of emergency services personnel who responded to several very realistically staged disaster scenes in Pierce County.

On the tide flats industrial area of Tacoma, a real explosion and fire was staged. Stadium High school and Kapowsin Elementary School were the scenes of collapsed buildings with numerous casualties. Fort Steilacoom Park was the scene of a very realistic scene with a real collapsed building, and there were numerous other disaster sties such as fires and collapsed bridges throughout the county. Hundreds of volunteer "victims" were realistically made up to simulate injuries and played their parts well. They were found, treated, and actually transported to area hospitals.

Participation in this event as a police chaplain was overwhelming. It is one thing to deal with a few casualties in an automobile accident, but it is something else entirely to deal with hundreds of casualties at once. The logistics of such a massive rescue effort are truly staggering.

As I reflect on the earthquake, I am learning some valuable lessons. For one thing, I see that response to such a disaster primarily is a fire department responsibility. They are the ones with the training and equipment to deal with rescue and medical treatment of the injured. The police response mainly is supportive of the fire department effort. In a real emergency of this nature, I would imagine the police, besides their support of the fire department response, would be involved in such things as traffic control, prevention of looting, and physical protection of life and property. As a police chaplain, I can see that I need to become much better acquainted with the fire personnel in my area as I would expect to be working much more closely with them in such a major disaster.

I discovered that my portable radio was nearly useless. I really needed the common fire frequency that seemed to be what everyone else was using. There should be a common frequency that everyone could go to. In a real emergency, having to go through a central dispatch center might not be practical.

I saw again the great value of very visible identification. In our area there were literally hundreds of people, some in uniform, and some in civilian clothes. We did not know each other. Some sort of identification that can be easily seen, even from a distance, is very helpful in such a situation.

Another very important thing I learned was the need to be well equipped for such an emergency. A good flashlight with extra batteries should be kept in the car. A basic first aid kit would be helpful. Blankets proved to be very useful at our drill, even those paper throw-away kind. A small supply of water and extra clothing might be very important. One person told me that we should be prepared for a stay of up to 48 hours with our own food, water, and clothing.

Finally, as I talked with the people working around me, and as I thought about my own feelings, I saw that in the event of a major disaster such as the earthquake we simulated, many of the emergency responders would not actually respond. They would first of all be concerned with the welfare of their own families and homes. They would also in some cases be casualties themselves. They would very likely be prevented from responding by the physical damage and by the breakdown of the communication system. In this event, those actually responding would have to make do with whatever civilians they could enlist. More thought needs to be given to the role of the untrained civilian in such emergencies.

I am glad that this earthquake was only a drill. I am glad that I had the chance to participate and to learn form it. It was a very vivid reminder to all of us that it is not a question of whether such a disaster will actually happen here, it is only a question of when and how bad it will be. We really do need to be prepared for it when it comes.