Schools

Officials: Fake School Bus Crash in Batavia Jan. 9 Was Training Exercise

The simulation included student participants as well as the Batavia police and fire departments.

If you see a bus crash on Batavia's east side this morning, don't be alarmed.

A crash simulation will take place at Papermill Hill Drive and Barkei Drive in Batavia today, Wed., Jan. 9 between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Batavia Public Schools announced.

Motorists traveling near the simulation may experience slight traffic disruptions due to emergency vehicles arriving and staging. The roads will remain open during the training exercise.

Find out what's happening in Bataviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This emergency training exercise will simulate the collision of a vehicle with a school bus carrying students. The following groups and agencies are involved in this event:

  • Batavia Public Schools
  • Batavia Fire Department
  • Batavia Police Department
  • Illinois Central Bus Company

“This training exercise is the first transportation crisis simulation that multiple agencies are collectively producing with Batavia Public Schools,” said Jack Barshinger, outgoing Batavia superintendent. “We are proactively testing and evaluating emergency response systems to ensure that each agency is fully prepared to respond and execute systems in the event of a real crisis.”  

Find out what's happening in Bataviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Along with the aformentioned groups, the training exercise will also involve:

  • Four adolescent “victims” from Rotolo Middle School’s eighth-grade first aid class
  • Tri-Com Central Dispatch
  • Southern Fox Valley & Central DuPage Emergency Medical Services System

The school bus crash simulation will test communication, multi-agency coordination, emergency protocols, and patient triage, packaging, removal and placement in medics.

“All agencies (will) use normal communications and procedures for the drill, treating it as a ‘real deal,’” said Ed Jancauskas, a Batavia Fire battalion chief.


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