Photo: First-responder training exercise Friday

Cape Girardeau firefighter/paramedic Jason Poole is lowered into a utility tunnel Friday during a training exercise at Southeast Missouri State University. Members of the Homeland Security Regional Team, including Capt. Sean Mitchell, left, with Jackson Fire Rescue, and Sgt. Derick Wheetley, right, with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, trained in various scenarios over five days with instructors from Chicago, California and Washington state. The training, which cost about $6,000, was provided with a grant from the International Association of Fire Fighters to members of Local 1084. The regional team serves a 13-county area of Southeast Missouri.