Stephanie Platt The Current

Mike Wientage (left) and Mark Czapliskie (right) of the Ferguson Fire Department respond to the simulated chemical spill in Benton Hall. The simulation was designed to test emergency response in the event of a real accident in the future.

by Sue Britt
staff editor

The Benton, Research and Stadler buildings were evacuated Monday as area and campus emergency units conducted a drill that tested response in the event of a chemical spill.

Students, faculty and staff were asked to exit and move away from the buildings as firefighters from the Normandy and Mid-County Fire Protection Districts and the Ferguson Fire Department followed procedures they would in the case of an actual chemical spill and explosion.

On the scene the Battalion Chief of Mid-County, Mike Caulley, said that it was a simulation located on the third floor of Benton Hall.

"We have simulated casualties and simulated contamination," Caulley said. "So far, we've [on a simulated basis] called in at least . . . St. Louis County Hazardous Material Team, the on-scene [UM-St. Louis] Hazardous Material Team, a decontamination team to decontaminate the people, and I believe a total of, in simulation, 15 ambulances."

James Hickerson, director of environmental health and safety at UM-St. Louis, said the premise of the simulation was that someone in Benton Hall tried to transfer a flammable solvent, Hexane, from one container to another, and a spark from the opening of a cabinet door ignited the explosion. In the simulation, there was a leak in a container of another chemical, Acetone. The spills were simulated with cut- out paper and a mannequin represented the person caught in the explosion. A smoke machine generated smoke during the drill. There were three other simulated injuries and a "mobility-impaired" student on the fourth floor.

Although some students participating in the evacuation did not know it was a drill, Hickerson said that there was some warning to all parties involved.

"When we first tried to set up this event a couple of months ago, we were advised by the Fire Department's attorney to not keep it so hush because in their experience there could be panic," Hickerson said. "And we wouldn't want anybody hurt in a drill. It's bad enough in a real situation."

Joyce Corey, professor of chemistry, stood at the edge of the evacuated crowd with the models she had been using during her lecture.

"When I went into class I said [that] there's to be an evacuation exercise, we just don't know what time it is, and there were notices on the front door of Benton Hall. We knew that there was a specific exercise today," Corey said, "because there was an e-mail message on Friday afternoon."

Hickerson said this simulation was the first at UM-St. Louis on this large scale, and that they are considering doing simulations of earthquakes or tornadoes that could involve the entire campus. He said when those kinds of disaster affect the surrounding communities UM-St. Louis may become isolated.

"On the outside world, outside of campus, hospitals and schools, elementary and secondary, those [institutions] would have the high priority," Hickerson said. "So, it may take them a day or so to get to us. We would need to be able to take care of ourselves."