Putnam Local Emergency Exercises Set For Tuesday

The Putnam County Local Emergency Planning Committee will hold a training event Tuesday to create better cohesion among agencies from across jurisdictions.

Putnam County 9-1-1 Assistant Director Josh Womack said law enforcement, rescue squads, and fire departments from across the county will have separate drills and scenarios to work through. He said the training will help them develop skills for day-to-day incidents but also prepare them for major disasters.

“I think it’s more about just the technique of everyone working together,” Womack said. “Making sure everyone’s on the same page, that we know what to do in the event of a true emergency, and that’s what it’s all about. Making sure that we’re practicing like we’re playing.”

Womack said the departments will be introduced to new strategies and equipment that can help them keep communities safer. He said the event will run from 6:00am through midday Tuesday at the First United Pentecostal Church.

“As everything advances, you know, you can’t treat new problems with old ways,” Womack said. “So, we’re constantly keeping up our skills, whether it’s on the law enforcement side or EMS and fire side, constantly keeping those skills up. You know, there may be a new product out there that we’re going to try out or a new technique that has come down from the doctors or medical control.”

He said sometimes, 20-year-old techniques get replaced by an improved alternative, and departments need to stay informed. Womack said he thinks back to March 2020 and remembers seeing departments from across the county work together, regardless of jurisdiction, to provide the best care possible for Putnam County residents.

“Everybody working together is such an important thing,” Womack said. “There’s no jurisdictional lines and there’s no agency lines. It’s everyone working together, and you know if we train like this, then you know what everyone’s capable of on our worst day.”

Womack said those in the area should expect to see multiple emergency vehicles parked, and remember that there is no reason to be alarmed.