OCCC Evacuated for Training Drill Involving Simulated Explosion

By Kirsten McIntyre, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A metro college was part of a massive training exercise to prepare for the worst case scenario.

Unfortunately, the training is the result of real events that have happened in Oklahoma and in other parts of the country. With each exercise, it's hoped first responders are better prepared than they were before.

Dozens of "fake" victims acted out their roles at Oklahoma City Community College in hopes of giving these first responders a chance to learn what true emergencies can be like.

The massive training exercise provided real life situations including an explosion, a hostage situation, a manhunt and multiple victims.

"All of those things are possible scenarios that you hope never happen but help us understand which agency is responsible for responding to what event," said Cordell Jordan with OCCC.

Melissa Denison, a paramedic student at OCCC played the panicked mother of an injured child. She said the more real you can make the training, the better it is for those in the field.

"It does take a lot of coordination, communication between the fire and EMS. You got to have somebody controlling everything in the command system," Denison said.

Communication is crucial in situations like these. In February at OCCC, it was believed a gunman was on the loose, but in the end, there was no gunman, instead, just a big misunderstanding.

This is the third training exercise OCCC has planned for the year. They take months to organize, but it's about everyone being prepared for the real deal.

Oklahoma City police and fire, the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office and EMSA paramedics took part in the training exercise.