A Disaster Task Force Exercise that involved personnel and agencies from Jasper and four other Central Iowa Counties was held at the Newton DMACC Campus Tuesday. Jasper County Emergency Management Agency Director Jamey Robinson says the training involved a simulated response to an active shooter incident at Co-Line Manufacturing outside of Lynnville. Robinson said that the simulated response began from the 911 call to transporting victims to the hospital, and added that these joint training exercises are important in the event of an  emergency.

“If we have a large-scale event, the day of the incident is not the day for everyone to meet and have a basic understanding of what our abilities and levels are. So getting everybody in the room together, having conversations and developing those relationships, really goes a long way when something large-scale is happening.”

Robinson notes more than 80 individuals participated in Tuesday’s exercise, including law enforcement, fire, EMS, hospitals, emergency management, dispatch centers, and volunteer organizations in Jasper, Mahaska, Marion, Poweshiek, and Iowa counties. The Jasper County Emergency Management Agency Director says there will be a similar full-scale exercise later this year.