On February 1 BACOG hosted a planned emergency preparedness drill, facilitated by Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, which brought together 45 officials and representatives from BACOG’s member villages and townships, area first responders and community leaders.
The tabletop exercise simulated a hypothetical scenario where the public water service was disrupted due to contamination and the communities’ ability to provide drinking water to residents and businesses was impacted. The exercise allowed participants to evaluate their current response plans and capabilities to communicate with citizens, hospitals, health departments, long term care facilities, state and county law enforcement and emergency management (EM) authorities, local police and fire, and water operators and authorities, all of whom would be involved in the response to a disruption in public water delivery.
BACOG member Albert Pino, Village President of North Barrington, commented, “The emergency management workshop hosted by BACOG was an effective way to evaluate our village’s emergency operation plan. The exercise engaged participants in discussing their own emergency response with other affected entities.”
Participants followed a situation manual designed by Kerry Smith and Beth Keane, who provide emergency preparedness services at Advocate GSH, with the BACOG EM Planning Committee. The manual followed guidance set forth by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).
