Two Canadian Pacific Railway trains collide, an act of terrorism that has area firefighters, police officers and medical personnel scrambling to respond and manage the disaster.
Well, that's what it will look like Saturday morning in Shoreview when the railroad and emergency response officials conduct a training exercise near Cardigan Junction on the northeastern corner of Interstate 694 and Rice Street.
The drill, which is supposed to last from 9 a.m. to noon, is designed to help responders practice their techniques and foster cooperation among departments in the event of a disaster, said Laura Baenen, a spokeswoman for the railroad.
"Part of this (drill) is to make people aware that they are going to need multiple agencies during a disaster," said Baenen, noting that petty differences and operating methods among cities and departments might limit effectiveness in some cases.
More than a dozen local agencies will participate. The scenario calls for a mock train collision and derailment caused by a damaged rail switch, and also involves gunshots from the terrorists responsible for the accident, Baenen said.
Media members and residents near the accident site are invited to attend the drill.
The drill fits with the Ramsey County Department of Emergency Management's push to develop a common operations plan for all emergency responders in the county, instead of the 16 or so that exist today, said Judson Freed, department director.
Next week, Freed will present a preliminary draft of that plan to the Ramsey Board of Commissioners for review.
Freed said Sept. 11, 2001, has changed the way responders look at disaster planning. A new awareness that disasters can be man-made as well as natural is now in play that tries to anticipate chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive weapons, he said.
Emergency responders now face the possibility they could be the targets of attacks.
"There's been emergency plans for decades and decades, but obviously after 9-11 the focus has changed," said Freed, who took over the department about a year ago and has been developing the plan. "The reality is that the majority of law enforcement and the public did not take terrorism seriously."
The new plan will be an electronic document to allow flexibility to make changes and includes Internet links with more detailed explanations.
Freed has tried to streamline the instructions for emergency responders and establish easy-to-use checklists for disaster situations.
Officials hope the new guidelines will inspire better relationships among cities by reducing the time needed to decipher several different plans during an incident, Freed said. Moreover, it will save time for cities' designated emergency managers, who have to review their plans annually and revise them every four years.
Bob Jacobson, director of public safety and emergency manger in New Brighton, said he plans to recommend that his City Council adopt the county plan once it's approved.
He said that reviewing and revising emergency plans takes time away from his other duties, so plan maintenance by another agency would free up resources.
"If we all adopt this plan, then there is one plan to maintain and keep up," Jacobson said. "It will save personnel and money, but the best thing is it will keep everybody on the same page."
