Terrorism drill tests responder readiness

Milton, FL- In conjunction with a Northwest Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force exercise held in Bay County, officials with Santa Rosa County Emergency Management coordinated a local terrorism drill this morning at the Milton Community Center, located at 5629 Byrom Street. More than two dozen high school students portrayed victims of a fake "dirty" bomb, a simulated explosion of radiological material.

City of Milton Fire Department Chief John Rebel served as Incident Commander and facilitated on-scene decontamination and a simulated evacuation of the area with the assistance of City of Milton Police, Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office, Rural Metro Ambulance, and NAS Whiting Field Fire Department. The "victims" were transported to Santa Rosa Medical Center, which used the exercise to test internal radiological response procedures. The Santa Rosa County Health Department also assisted Emergency Management officials with evaluation of the drill.

According to Daniel Hahn, Emergency Management Plans Chief, "Through this exercise we were able to provide first responders the opportunity to evaluate their capabilities and procedure, and that will enable us to be better prepared for real terrorist situations."

For more information, contact Santa Rosa County Emergency Management at 850-983-5360.