Motorists passing Coors March 26 to 29 may have seen mayhem and disaster at the brewery.
However, it was well-controlled, smoothly managed mayhem and disaster. More than 45 local emergency response agencies spent three days digging through rubble and pulling survivors out of an mock earthquake during a disaster training on Coors property in Golden.
The agencies included surrounding fire departments, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, and local hospitals. This exercise also incorporated searches of damaged buildings and removing victims from vehicles crushed in a collapsed parking garage.
The Jefferson County Incident Management Team managed the operation. The IMT helps local fire and law enforcement agencies to manage disasters and catastrophes that are beyond their control.
The federal Colorado Task Force 1 urban search and rescue team was also heavily involved. The group has extensive experience in disasters nationwide, having responded in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, and in Oklahoma City after the bombing in 1995.