On Friday, August 15, the quiet of a summer evening in Holdrege was interrupted by a controlled explosion at Allmand Inc. But this was no accident, it was the kickoff to a carefully planned, large-scale emergency response exercise hosted by Phelps Memorial Emergency Services. More than 80 first responders, law enforcement officers, and medical volunteers from across the region gathered for the full-scale drill, which simulated an industrial explosion with multiple injured victims.
The goal was simple, yet critical: prepare as realistically as possible for a crisis that no one ever hopes will occur.
For Marlene Williams, AEMT with Phelps Memorial Emergency Services, the event marked a powerful achievement. “Seeing so many departments come together to educate, train, and respond as one team was incredible,” she shared. “The success of this exercise is a true testament to what we can accomplish when we work together.”
That teamwork was evident from the very beginning of the drill. Allmand’s safety team, who were crucial in planning, acted as the first responders on scene. They initiated the call to 911, giving themselves valuable practice while setting the tone for the rest of the event. From there, Holdrege Fire and Rescue, serving as the host department, arrived on scene, requesting additional support as mutual aid departments were dispatched.
Representatives from Alma, Beaver City, Bertrand, Broken Bow, Funk, Hildreth, Holdrege, Loomis, Merna, Miller, Oconto, Phelps Memorial Health Center Emergency Services, and Wilcox fire and rescue departments joined forces, along with the Phelps County Sheriff’s Office, Holdrege Police Department, and Phelps County Emergency Management. Apollo Air Care and their flight crew also played a role, ensuring that air transport response was part of the drill.
Nineteen volunteers acted as victims, complete with moulaged injuries ranging from severe burns and lacerations to collapsed lung scenarios. Additional volunteers from Phelps Memorial Health Center staffed a mock emergency room onsite, allowing responders to hand off patients and practice treatment in a hospital-like environment.
“We can educate and we can train, but until we drill as true to the event as possible, it won’t be as effective,” Williams explained. “There is something to be said about actually setting off an explosion to set the tone, sending search and rescue teams into the hot zone, and having volunteer victims with lifelike injuries acting the part. It brings everything to life.”
The realism wasn’t just in the sounds and sights, but also in the emotions it evoked. Williams described watching teams push themselves to exhaustion during the exercise. “I witnessed rescue team members, drenched in sweat, carrying out injured, giving handoff reports, then wanting to go right back in to get more.”
David Dooley, CEO of Allmand Inc., expressed pride in hosting the event. “This was an incredible opportunity to partner with our community’s first responders and give them real-life training in an industrial setting,” he said. He emphasized that the partnership wasn’t just about the drill itself, but about long-term readiness. “The safety of our teammates is our top priority, and hosting this drill not only helps prepare responders, but it helps us as a company strengthen our own emergency planning. We’re proud to support an exercise that ultimately benefits the entire region by improving readiness, communication, and teamwork.”
Dooley added that seeing responders work inside Allmand’s facility underscored the importance of collaboration. “Our safety team trains regularly, but to see them working side by side with fire, rescue, and EMS teams, searching the very spaces where our people work every day, was powerful. It reassures me that if something ever did happen, we would not face it alone.”
The exercise also emphasized safety protocols for responders working in dangerous environments. Matt Maus, Innovative Drone Solutions, presented on the topic of Tactical SAR & UAS Response to Structural Blast. He reminded participants to respect the pace of a coordinated search. “Always search with a company representative. Know the facility before you search. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast,” he said, stressing the importance of knowledge and deliberate action over rushing.
He praised the drill for offering lessons that cannot be learned in a classroom. “This gives all first responders a taste of what can happen and how to respond if unfortunately an event like this occurs. I appreciate this program and all the volunteers and first responders who participated. Events like this prepare first responders to save lives.”
Another educational portion of the event provided additional life-saving knowledge. Eric Jensen, RN, of St. Elizabeth Wound and Burn Center, presented on burn care, teaching responders how to recognize degrees of burns, the importance of early airway management when internal swelling threatens breathing, wound management, fluid resuscitation and treatment priorities before transfer to a burn center. His presentation deepened responders’ understanding of how medical decisions made in the first minutes can shape long-term patient outcomes.
Additional insight came from Jessie Smith, who shared strategies to further strengthen responder preparedness and resilience. She discussed Hi-Performance CPR which is a highly refine, choreographed and measured CPR event. She said, “Early chest compressions with minimal interruptions and early defibrillation can over double a victim’s chance of survival.” She added, “We measure life in years, but resuscitation in seconds.”
Williams reflected afterward on the impact of the exercise. “Working with the area department fire and rescue chiefs months in advance gives them time to prepare their members in refreshing their skills on training nights. Our goal at the drill is to fine tune those skills to give the greatest outcome to the greatest amount of people.”
She added that including Allmand’s safety team in the planning was especially important. “Touring the facility prior to the event gave them the opportunity to explain the entire facility to our planning team. We could work together to identify the most likely area for an explosion and build from that. We needed the safety team to start the drill as first on scene, which gave them great training, before calling 911 and requesting fire and rescue. From there, the incident unfolded in real time, just like it would in a true emergency.”
By the end of the night, responders walked away with more than just training hours. They gained confidence, teamwork, and the assurance that if disaster strikes, they are prepared to act together.
As Dooley said, “This was more than a drill — it was an investment in our people, our community, and our safety.”
