Wednesday, May 19, 2010
 
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County coroner's staff receives additional training

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[May 19, 2010]  Ninety-five Logan County first responders recently participated in an Amtrak Passenger Train Emergency Response training hosted by the Logan County coroner's office and the Logan County Fire Protection Association.

Two four-hour sessions were conducted for law enforcement officers, firemen, paramedics and emergency medical technicians. Also present were personnel from the National Weather Service, Logan Emergency Management Agency, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital emergency room staff, Department of Transportation, Logan 911 Dispatch and coroner's staff.

Nick Hanson, fire association president, credited the commitment and dedication of Logan County's emergency personnel for the large attendance.

Charles Cox, Amtrak emergency preparedness manager, provided instruction on emergency response procedures; extrication and evacuation; switch device and rail precautions; electrical, pneumatic and environmental hazards; derailments and stabilization of derailed cars; onboard emergency equipment; and preplanning procedures.

"With 10 Amtrak passenger trains traveling through Logan County each day, this training provided critical information to ensure the safety of emergency responders should an Amtrak emergency occur in our county," said Robert Thomas, county coroner.

Thomas also announced the successful completion of two training courses attended by Doug Brooks, deputy coroner.

Brooks participated in a 40-hour class on Crime Scene Techniques Involving Surface Skeletons and Buried Bodies. The training was hosted by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board and conducted by the Institute of Police Technology and Management/University of North Florida. Course content included search techniques for locating possible graves and scattered skeletal remains; archaeological techniques used in the excavation of buried bodies; collection, packaging and transportation of skeletal material and physical evidence; documentation through photography and sketching; and field exercises involving search, recovery and excavation of mock burials and surface skeletons. The class was at Heartland Community College in Normal.

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Brooks also attended a two-day seminar on Child Death and Homicide Investigations, taught by Dr. Tracy Corey, chief medical examiner for the state of Kentucky. Corey gave instruction on sudden and unexpected infant deaths, distribution and patterns of injuries, scene documentation, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, child abuse, neonaticide, and several case studies from crime scene investigation to autopsy. The class was at Joliet Junior College, Joliet.

Both classes were paid for by a state grant to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

"With budgetary concerns and cost-cutting a priority, the coroner's office is fortunate to have the opportunity to increase staff's knowledge and experience in a fiscally responsible manner," said Thomas.

[Text from file received from Robert Thomas, Logan County coroner]

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