Thursday was day training paid off for our community

We’ve already celebrated Thanksgiving, but Thursday’s events provide more reasons to be thankful.

Gratitude that kids were safe despite being evacuated from our elementary school, as well as thankful we have the right people in place to respond to emergencies like the collision that tied up a major intersection all afternoon.

Injuries to the drivers apparently were not serious, however, it was sad to see a number of cattle either died or were injured so badly they had to be put down.

It was hard to believe at first that the bomb threat received at McCook Elementary was not a drill, given the nice weather and orderly evacuation, but it was no exercise. A lunch worker confirmed they were ordered to drop what they were doing and leave the building, and the reality was confirmed when we heard of the threat received by a local motel and thousands of other locations around the United States and Canada.

Thankfully, none turned out to be real, although no one in authority can afford to dismiss any threat out of hand. It’s a wonder email threats aren’t more common, and it’s a real danger one will turn out to be genuine once they aren’t taken seriously.

We’re sure school, city, law enforcement and first responders will have plenty to talk about in their debriefings and will discuss ways response to multiple emergencies could have been better, but by all accounts, things went as smoothly as could be expected.

Training, rehearsals and practice are an important part of any profession, and situations like Thursday’s dual emergencies are times when all that preparation pays off.