More emergency responders from outlying areas and improved communication are needed during large-scale emergencies in Mackinac County, said Mike Kasper in his report on a series of three drills held at the Straits of Mackinac in September. Mr. Kasper is the director of the county's Emergency Management department.

The exercises were designed to test the coordination of local, state, and federal response agencies to three emergency scenarios. They allowed more than 50 agencies and private companies to practice working together and identify shortcomings, so the county can be better prepared a real emergency.

The mock disasters in September included a terrorism threat on a freighter, a mass water rescue after a ferry boat and fuel barge collision, and the containment and clean-up of a fuel oil spill. Evaluators stood by to assess where improvements can be made on local, state, and federal levels.

On the local level, Mr. Kasper is seeking additional help from firefighters and emergency medical service workers on the east side and west side of the county to assist during emergencies. He already has recruited two volunteers. Volunteers, he said, will now be trained to work in the Emergency Operations Center to relieve commanders so they can direct efforts in the field.

During September's drill, he said, the Emergency Operations Center was staffed by people who also were needed at the disaster sites. Those people included St. Ignace Fire Chief John "Bucky" Robinson and Mark Wilk, a St. Ignace police officer and area ambulance manager. Now, with additional support from around the county, Chief Robinson and Sergeant Wilk will be able to be stationed on-site, where they are needed.

Communications moved slowly at first between centers established north and south of the Mackinac Bridge and the Incident Command Post at Little Bear East Arena in St. Ignace, he said, but communications between responders went well.

He speculated communication issues were the result of a delay in the beginning of the exercise, creating a lack of synchronization between operations centers in Mackinac and Cheboygan counties and the Joint information Center set up in Mackinaw City.

Other exercises in the past have addressed chemical spills on I-75, Mackinac Bridge damage, and large-scale tornado damage.