Emergency exercise for responders planned at Pine River fairgrounds

PINE RIVER — The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management will host a large full-scale emergency exercise Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the Pine River fairgrounds.

The exercise begins at 9 a.m. and will last until approximately 3 p.m. According to a news release, it will test training and response actions to a simulated, but real-world incident involving victims, hazardous materials release, vehicle extrication and other coordination activities.

The sheriff’s office is asking travelers to be cautious when traveling through town and to avoid the area if possible that day.

Residents living near the simulated incident should know this is only an exercise. Homeowners will not be asked to evacuate. All evacuations will be simulated using trained actors. No actual chemicals are to be released and there is no public safety threat, the sheriff's office reported.

The exercise will involve local fire departments, law enforcement, county public health and local volunteers, along with other county, regional and state partner agencies. Over 75 responders are expected to participate in the exercise including first responders, partners, actors, evaluators and other exercise staff.

"These exercises help test our training and equipment in a controlled way," the release stated. "Bringing multiple agencies together to coordinate response activities in an efficient and effective manner is paramount to identifying potential gaps in planning and training."

The sheriff's office reported that results of the exercise will be captured in an after-action report and improvement plan for all agencies. This will help guide future activities to help prepare for and respond to emergency events.