Imagine the devastation that could occur if tornadoes were to touch down in Argo, Springville and Odenville all within the same hour.

 This will be the situation facing police and fire departments in those three communities, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Central Dispatch, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), the American Red Cross and St. Clair County elected officials on Saturday during a multi-discipline and multi-jurisdictional Homeland Security Exercise to be held in Springville.

The purpose of this scenario is to test the ability of first responders and emergency managers to work together in an actual emergency.

The exercise is designed to establish a realistic learning environment for these agencies to practice emergency response plans, policies, and procedures.

According to Springville Fire Chief Richard Harvey, “In an effort to prepare for the unthinkable, this exercise gives first responders the opportunity to practice working together and perform as one team. Simply stated, it helps us prepare to be prepared.”

St. Clair County Sheriff Department Captain Billy Murray echoed Chief Harvey’s sentiments. “Any time multiple agencies can come together for any type of training, it is beneficial to all. The Sheriff’s Department always appreciates the opportunity to practice working with other agencies,”  

The lessons learned from Homeland Security exercises such as this reinforce the fact that it takes not just one or two departments to handle an emergency; every agency must be able to communicate and collaborate with one another in order to save lives and property in the event of a large-scale disaster.

“The primary season of severe weather is just weeks away,” says Ellen Haynes, Director of the St. Clair County EMA. “Hopefully, St. Clair County will not experience a tornado touchdown, but if we do, this exercise will help to make us better prepared.”