Henry Co. first responders work bus vs. train mock accident
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PARIS, Tenn. — Dozens of patients flooded a Henry County hospital Wednesday after a train versus bus accident — but it was just a drill. Firefighters, police and EMS responded to the mock crash in Paris. The situation also included a chemical leak and dozens of injured victims. Nursing student Jeffery Barlow played one of the patients. “I didn’t have any physical injuries, but I was short of breath and I was very upset,” he said. First responders assessed victims and then got them to the hospital. Henry County Emergency Management Director Ron Watkins said they will look at what went well, what did not, and hopefully learn from it. “Practice real life situations, practice things that could actually happen in our community,” he said. Watkins said the drill is a requirement for a $16,000 grant the agency received. He said the money will help pay for a training conference later this year. Paris Fire Chief Michael Williams Sr. said his department goes through training every year and drills like this fine tune those skills. “Training is the key,” he said. “It prepares us for any type of incident.” Practice makes perfect. A fake situation could one day turn into a reality. “Keeps everybody on their toes,” Barlow said. “Heaven forbid this ever does happen, but if it does at least we know they’ll be ready.” Watkins said they spent several months preparing for the drill.
