 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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