LAS VEGAS -- A local hospital and first responders prepared for the worst during a disaster drill Wednesday.
Centennial Hills Hospital trained to respond to the release of a dirty bomb or radiological weapon in the Las Vegas valley in an exercise known as Decon-12.
Actors played the roles of those injured, who were rushed to the hospital. Hospital staff and first responders went step-by-step to make sure they are ready. Patients went through the decontamination process in tents, before being admitted to the hospital.
"The possibility of a radiological attack is very, very low. The consequences in this scenario would be very high. So, as first responders and emergency response, folks do need to be sure that we are ready for anything, especially, the unexpected," Jeff Donaldson with the Nevada National Security Site said.
The drill focused on key local emergency responder coordination, critical decisions that would have to be made, and how our state and federal resources would work together.
The goal is to save lives and protect the public if the Las Vegas valley ever had to deal with a radiological contamination emergency.
Evaluators watched every move of the emergency workers. They will debrief, and write up a report that looks at future training, equipment, and response.
