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Model RR's for Emergency Service use in Table Top Drills

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  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Model RR's for Emergency Service use in Table Top Drills
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 1, 2004 2:23 PM
Hi I have been a Model RR since 1988 and Model in (N) scale
I work in the FIRE /EMS Field, and the other day I was reading a EMS Magazine
(EMS Magizine Auq.2004 Vol. 33#8 PGs 71-73 Writen by Gary Wiemokly)

Any way the artical was about a guy "Don Moore" who uses model RR layout
for use with Police, Fire, EMS and other emergency workers to do a table top
drill with them And (gee you thought you were haveing fun when you parked a
car on one of your crossings and had a train hit it) now just think of the fun you
or your model RR club would have if you were to have your fire dept. police,
Ambulance and rescue members over and lets say it was a fuel truck that was
hit at the crossing by the train and next to the crossing is a school with kids.
now you get to watch the emergency service workers push your fire, EMS,Rescue, &
Police units to the crossing and you add more to the drill maybe it's on fire
the wind is blowing the fire and fumes towards the school whath them work through the drill. It is a big help when you have models to see and use.

So next time you derail a train, crash into a car at a grade crossing, on your layout
think of us that are in the emergency service work and what would we do to save the day.

This can be lots of fun for you and an A+ way for your emergency service workers
to work through a drill! what worked what needs to be worked on?
for more inf. on this go to www.emsmagazine.com
email emseditor@aol.com

for those of you like me that love are trains and working as a emergency service worker have fun and try this some time God Bless!!!

John Murphy, FF/NREMT-Intermediate/ Instructor
Sturgis Fire and Emergency Services
Sturgis, SD.
(605) -720-0911[;)]
  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Crosby, Texas
  • 3,660 posts
Posted by cwclark on Wednesday, September 1, 2004 2:51 PM
Gomez Addams could'a used your services...

  • Member since
    April 2003
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 1, 2004 2:51 PM
John, is that "Abbotsville" (or something like that)?? I couldn't hit the right links, I guess. I've seen some articles over the years on these table-top simulations. I guess the modeler in me kinda chuckled at seeing Hot Wheels squads, ambulances, etc. sitting on the "layout." The firefighter/paramedic in me thought "what a great way to practice this ICS (Incident Command System) stuff.

The one I'm thinking of is used for everything from SWAT situations for the cops, to HAZMAT, to natural disasters. This Abbot guy (if that's the right dude) even would go so far as to "drop buckets of 'debris' all across the town," to foil the responders. The article I recall said he even went so far as to really hammer the "know-it-all" type that always seemed to show up...he'd bring out a Godzilla creature, "walk" it across the town, dropping "radioactive waste" in his wake... gotta admire that level of dementia!

Thanks for the link, even though I didn't find that article, I did find some that I was able to point my boss to.

Stay safe,

Chris Umscheid, EMT-P (Iowa Paramedic Specialist), FF1, Fire Instructor 1, EMSI
Campus Paramedic, Adjunct EMS Instructor
Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Former Firefighter/EMT/Paramedic
Central City Vol. Fire Dept.
Springville Vol. Fire-Rescue
Troy Mills Vol. Fire Dept.
  • Member since
    May 2015
  • 5,134 posts
Posted by ericsp on Wednesday, September 1, 2004 10:49 PM
Here is a link to it. However, the linked page is blank (at least when I try it).

http://www.firehouse.com/linkssql/search.cgi?query=diorama&catid=

"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 18, 2004 7:13 PM
Thanks for those of you who have e-mailed me I hope You all will maybe give this a try
some time at 1 of your drill nights
I love to see the faces on the crew when they walk into the training room and see
trains and toys set up !

Be safe and God Bless
PS if ever in Sturgis SD Stop by the fire hall and say HI
YES even if it is in the middle of the Sturgis Harly Davidson Rally .
www.sturgisfire.com
  • Member since
    August 2002
  • From: Mt. Vernon, Indiana
  • 22 posts
Posted by Ziggy on Monday, October 18, 2004 8:31 PM
Yes, it is Abbotville. We have used them at my work place. I work at a chemical plant and our volunteer fire chief on site had them come in to put us through some scenarios... it was a pretty cool learning experience.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 10, 2005 7:54 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Rail Road Smurf

Hi I have been a Model RR since 1988 and Model in (N) scale
I work in the FIRE /EMS Field, and the other day I was reading a EMS Magazine
(EMS Magizine Auq.2004 Vol. 33#8 PGs 71-73 Writen by Gary Wiemokly)

Any way the artical was about a guy "Don Moore" who uses model RR layout
for use with Police, Fire, EMS and other emergency workers to do a table top
drill with them And (gee you thought you were haveing fun when you parked a
car on one of your crossings and had a train hit it) now just think of the fun you
or your model RR club would have if you were to have your fire dept. police,
Ambulance and rescue members over and lets say it was a fuel truck that was
hit at the crossing by the train and next to the crossing is a school with kids.
now you get to watch the emergency service workers push your fire, EMS,Rescue, &
Police units to the crossing and you add more to the drill maybe it's on fire
the wind is blowing the fire and fumes towards the school whath them work through the drill. It is a big help when you have models to see and use.

So next time you derail a train, crash into a car at a grade crossing, on your layout
think of us that are in the emergency service work and what would we do to save the day.

This can be lots of fun for you and an A+ way for your emergency service workers
to work through a drill! what worked what needs to be worked on?
for more inf. on this go to www.emsmagazine.com
email emseditor@aol.com

for those of you like me that love are trains and working as a emergency service worker have fun and try this some time God Bless!!!

John Murphy, FF/NREMT-Intermediate/ Instructor
Sturgis Fire and Emergency Services
Sturgis, SD.
(605) -720-0911[;)]
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 10, 2005 8:08 PM
Hi Folks,
Gary Wiemokly here, just found your website by accident and thought it was interesting that you were discussing your model RR for table tops. Yup, they can be done and Gomez Addams would be proud! "Donnyville" is really pretty large about 14 feet by 30 feet. Large in the sense that we travel with this sucker and offer MCI, ICS, etc clases around the country. We've got the RR, highways, urban, suburban, rural and industrial parts of this town. Like the article said you must have a lot of time on your hands! But I'm sure you all know that it is a labor of loveand a way to destress from the daily life in EMS.
I'm sure that most of you have some great set ups and they're more realistic that what Don and I have put together. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on using your own "Table Tops" for drills. They do add realism + it is okay to screw up...safeplace for learning.

See ya down the highway,

Gary Wiemokly, MPH, EMT-P, RN (EMS Dude)
EMS Manager
State of Connecticut
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Ozark Mountains
  • 1,167 posts
Posted by dragenrider on Monday, January 10, 2005 8:22 PM
Hey, look! There's another medic/RN management type on the forum! What is it about EMS, firefighters and trains? I can't live without any of them! [:D]

You know, I teach a lot, but it just never occurred to me to use parts of my railroad for instructional purposes. The closest I've done is take an HO tank car to my Haz Mat Awareness class. What a great visual teaching tool idea!

Happy Rails
Randy Ates
RN/Medic/FF/Railfan

The Cedar Branch & Western--The Hillbilly Line!

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 13, 2005 3:27 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Rail Road Smurf

Hi I have been a Model RR since 1988 and Model in (N) scale
I work in the FIRE /EMS Field, and the other day I was reading a EMS Magazine
(EMS Magizine Auq.2004 Vol. 33#8 PGs 71-73 Writen by Gary Wiemokly)

Any way the artical was about a guy "Don Moore" who uses model RR layout
for use with Police, Fire, EMS and other emergency workers to do a table top
drill with them And (gee you thought you were haveing fun when you parked a
car on one of your crossings and had a train hit it) now just think of the fun you
or your model RR club would have if you were to have your fire dept. police,
Ambulance and rescue members over and lets say it was a fuel truck that was
hit at the crossing by the train and next to the crossing is a school with kids.
now you get to watch the emergency service workers push your fire, EMS,Rescue, &
Police units to the crossing and you add more to the drill maybe it's on fire
the wind is blowing the fire and fumes towards the school whath them work through the drill. It is a big help when you have models to see and use.

So next time you derail a train, crash into a car at a grade crossing, on your layout
think of us that are in the emergency service work and what would we do to save the day.

This can be lots of fun for you and an A+ way for your emergency service workers
to work through a drill! what worked what needs to be worked on?
for more inf. on this go to www.emsmagazine.com
email emseditor@aol.com

for those of you like me that love are trains and working as a emergency service worker have fun and try this some time God Bless!!!

John Murphy, FF/NREMT-Intermediate/ Instructor
Sturgis Fire and Emergency Services
Sturgis, SD.
(605) -720-0911[;)]

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