From Mike Keltner, Adair County Emergency Management Director
The 2023 Fisher Bend TrailEX training and emergency exercise was conducted Today, Saturday March 25th, 2023. A large number of Emergency Responders from Columbia - Adair County Fire Department, Breeding Fire Department, Adair County Ambulance Service, and Adair County Emergency Management participated. Out of county response agency observers were present to see how we manage a response of this type.
Using a new tracking application 9 separate strike teams marked 124 items on the over 10 miles of hiking, biking and horseback trails. These items include responder hazards, natural / man made landmarks, and potential clues which may assist in a search. While out on trail most of the 9 strike teams, which were comprised of 2-4 members, covered approximately 7 miles of hiking per team.
The tracking application allows us to monitor our ground teams locations and areas covered. This works to increase safety, track the probability of detection and utilize resources as efficiently as possible. In low or no cell coverage area the app logs data until coverage is regained.
We want to thank IGA, Kimbler’s Septic, Region 10 Healthcare Coalition HELP, and the US Army Corps of Engineers in addition to our 40+ responders as partners for making this event happen.
