GALESBURG (WKZO) — The emergency response to the huge pile-up on I-94 is being credited with helping prevent further injury and discomfort for the victims of the massive wreck involving nearly 200 vehicles.
Local agencies practice annually for such mass casualty disasters.
There were three police departments, 11 fire departments and nine emergency medical response agencies from two counties involved in what became a hazardous materials response, mass evacuation, triage and clean-up operation and simultaneously an accident investigation.
There are going to be a lot of insurance agencies that want to know precisely what happened.
When news of what was happening on I-94 was reported in, protocols were triggered, agencies from the State Police to the Red Cross, to local emergency rooms took up their positions and quickly and efficiently responded to perform their role in the disaster.
Buses were obtained and dispatched to collect the survivors and take them to the Red Cross emergency shelter set up in a Galesburg school.
That kind of response doesn’t just happen. It comes from years of practice, practical application and planning.
