Local Homeland Security Response Team conducts training at water treatment plant

The Southeast Missouri Homeland Security Response Team — which comprises firefighters from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, Jackson Fire Rescue and the Sikeston Department of Public Safety — in conjunction with Alliance Water Resources conducted a training exercise Wednesday morning simulating a catastrophic incident at the Cape Rock Water Treatment Plant.

This particular exercise simulated an incident in which a truck crashed into the building and caused a major chlorine gas leak. While the water treatment facility has measures in place to prevent this type of disaster, the training exercise gave responders an opportunity to practice emergency response.

"You never know when an incident is going to occur," Brad Dillow, battalion chief with the fire department, said. "It might be two more years, it might be never or it could be tomorrow. We just don't know. That's why we train on these events, so that way our people are exposed to it."

According to Dillow, the fire department conducts different training exercises each month and trains annually with Alliance.

"We try to split our disciplines up because we try to be proficient in hazmat — which we're doing today — high-angle rescue, swift-water rescue, structural collapse, confined space," Dillow said. "There's a variety of different technical aspects that we deal with, and all these types of things that this team deals with is stuff that doesn't happen on a day-to-day basis. When it does happen, it's very large scale events and it's very demanding, takes a lot of personnel, things of that nature."

Members of the Southeast Missouri Homeland Security Response Team attempt to fix a simulated chlorine leak with the help of Cape Girardeau Fire Department battalion chief Brad Dillow, left, during a training session Wednesday at the Cape Rock Water Treatment Plant in Cape Girardeau.Sarah Yenesel

Brian Pieper, water system manager with Alliance Water Resources, said his crew has a response plan in place for employees in case an incident such as the simulation occurs.

"We have an emergency response plan already in place," Pieper said. "We drill that and train our staff to be familiar with that. We know the processes to follow and want to make sure that we communicate with the proper people as quickly as possible."

Dillow wasn't exactly pleased with the department's performance Wednesday, but acknowledged it's better to make mistakes during training rather than when people's lives are potentially on the line.

"This is why we do this stuff," Dillow said. "If there's going to be mistakes made, this is where I want them to make them and not on a real incident. I've always had the approach where I'm going to let you make the mistake, because you're going to remember this. If I come in here and I just correct you and say, 'Stop, do this, do that,' you won't remember it a year from now. But if they've made this drastic mistake, they're gonna be like, 'Oh, man, I remember when I did this.'

"If I just stopped it a while ago, corrected it all and got back on track, that's not realistic. It aggravates me a little bit that we made a mistake, but we're human, we're going to make mistakes."

Members of the Southeast Missouri Homeland Security Response Team asses the situation and discuss response during a training session Wednesday at the Cape Rock Water Treatment Plant in Cape Girardeau.Sarah Yenesel