Santa Fe Officials Get Crash Course in Emergency Response

The careers of elected officials have often been shaped by a disaster either positively or negatively, so it behooves them to understand the roles of emergency management personnel and first responders.

The Santa Fe County, N.M., Fire Department and the local union conducted a series of simulations recently designed to show local officials just what first responders go through on an almost daily basis.

For first responders, it was an opportunity to demonstrate what they endure to protect the public. For officials outside of public safety, it was a chance to see and feel, firsthand, what it’s like to be a first responder.

County Manager Greg Shaffer, Human Resources and Risk Management Director Sonya Quintana and Regional Emergency Communications Director Robert Lujan each donned firefighter gear and scrambled up a ladder as if training for the job.

“I almost didn’t come,” Quintana told the Santa Fe New Mexican. She was worried because she is afraid of heights. “And then I’m like, ‘They do this every day, you need to get over there.’”

Participants were also tasked with crawling into the depths of a burning building wearing an oxygen tank and a tight mask.

“I hope while you’re doing it, if you can just take a moment to really think about what it would be like to be in this burning building where you have no idea what the layout is … and really try to make it feel like it’s the real thing so you can get an idea of what we do,” Fire Capt. Eutimio Ortiz told the participants.

Thick smoke clouded the training structure as event organizers lit hay on wooden pallets and temperatures in the building climbed to about 700 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s one of those experiences you can’t really prepare yourself for in terms of what that level of heat feels like,” Shaffer said.

Participants went through three other scenarios, including extracting a person trapped in a vehicle after a crash. They were first given older extraction tools, which proved to be a bit unwieldy, and then newer ones to demonstrate the importance of modern equipment.

Although the event was considered a success, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was also at the event, said she would like to see all officials attend next time.

“How about if I make a personal challenge to elected officials to get this done in a letter directly from me and my office for every county operation willing to invite folks like me to really get a firsthand understanding and a bird’s eye view of how challenging the work that you do every day is?” the governor said.