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Alex Cabrero reportingAfter Rita and Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, many here have wondered how ready is Utah for a disaster? Emergency crews will have a better idea after this weekend.
They staged a huge exercise. Six Northern Utah counties, and more than 50 agencies took part in Operation Blue Sky.
It's a huge, full scale exercise, a year in the making, to find out how ready is Utah? Today's training began with an explosion at Roy High School.
Of all the things you hope never happen, this has to be high on your list.
David Nielson: "There was a bomb that went off here at 9:00."
A terrorist bomb at Roy High School, causing plenty of injuries, and plenty of confusion.
Jeremy Winn: "It's a hard thing to do. It's hard to keep communications open. That's the big thing, knowing where everybody is at."
Hazmat suits, emt's, they even had victims. This sure looks real, but it's actually fake. It's a practice because they'd rather do this for the first time when it is practice instead of when it's for real.
David Nielsen/ Weber Fire District: "We're going to learn where we're strong and where we're weak."
Crews learned that organization and communication is how you get through something like this. You also need the tools to get the job done, like decontamination showers, a map of the building, and in this case, a good sniper never hurts because, well, you never know.
Brenna McDavid: "That'd be scary. I don't know what I'd do. I'd probably be crying."
Thankfully, it was just practice. Scenarios also took place in Brigham City and up Logan Canyon, and they were all connected.
The exercise cost about $300-thousand, but if the real thing ever happens, it's comforting to know our rescue teams have already trained for it.
