The CIL was invited to participate in the Annual Emergency Drill that Langley Health Services puts together in Sumterville. This year, the CEO & Safety Officer asked us to be part of it. CIL staff Brandon attended and here are his thoughts about the drill.

I, Brandon, was given a briefing of the schedule in the conference room of Langley; which was integral for the results of the drill. After that, we were placed in the “Code Blue” area of the drill where people at the scene would be acting out their characters. Mine of which was a character with my own disability (legally blind) as well as Dementia. I came up with plenty of ideas to throw at health care constituents but was well watched over and was not allowed to wonder, as I hoped. It was still fun. After the paramedics got the injured and fallen out of the “Code Blue” area, the supervisor categorized those who were remaining by color “designation” on their character cards. We were then brought outside for the paramedics to review. There was a hot wash to review how everything went during the drill, and there were many compliments on how the staff managed through this emergency response. Several additional comments were made and the drill was concluded.

Having the CIL and CIL staff involved in these types of drills is so important for local health care facilities and businesses that work with people with disabilities. The community gets to learn more about what an emergency would look like in real time, and CIL staff can give a real take on what it would be like for people with disabilities to react to a disaster when it arises.

ID: Graphic has an abstract design with dark blue on the top half and light blue on the bottom half. “Annual Emergency Drill Langley Health Services” is written in white on the top center of the graphic. Directly below is a group photo of all those who participated in the Annual Emergency Drill. Underneath the group photo is 3 photos spaced evenly and horizontally across the graphic, showing participants involved in various drills.